Umi no Musuko
by LordUnicron
Summary: Not long after the defeat of Kronos, the gods have started claiming more and more of their children. However, even with their powers stronger than ever, the evil of an eastern pantheon is rising, and affecting the Greeks. And now, someone from Percy's past is revealed to be his half-brother, much to the anger of Zeus. But there are mysteries surrounding this boy, this Umi no Musuko
1. Chapter I Tsuna

** Hello everyone. I hope you enjoy this story. What I'll be doing in this story is a three person perspective, like how Rick Riordan has been doing the Heroes of Olympus series. I also hope that you like my original character. Please enjoy and review.**

** I will be trying something new in this story. Every time you see a superscript (example: word****1****) there will be an explanation at the end of a chapter explaining something in the story.**

** I do not own anything related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians/ Heroes of Olympus series, all rights go to Rick Riordan.**

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**Chapter I Tsuna**

You all probably think that it would be amazing to have powers, or to be the child of the gods of old. To see things that no one else sees, like monsters and creatures so old that most of our us in our current Age of civilization have forgotten. Well guess again. It is not that great. You get hurt and… you die. Beings so powerful despise you before you even knew they existed. I guess that you're all wondering who I am exactly, and why I'm saying all of this, so let me explain. My name is Tsunayoshi Noble. Tsuna for short. And I guess that everything began on the day I moved to New York City.

I didn't want to go. Everything I remember was there in Seattle. Both my Mom and I have been in this part of the country since I was five years old. I loved everything about western Washington, from the rain to the emerald green forests. The mountains that surrounded me on practically all sides comforted me with their beauty. Despite the area being really crowded and the traffic being absolutely terrible, I considered it my home.

"Are you done packing yet Tsuna?!" yelled my Mom from the living room.

My mother was an amazing woman. She was kind and loving. No matter how badly I messed up, she always supported and protected me. Her name was Donna Noble. If I could describe her in one word, I would say she was outspoken. She was a very beautiful woman (don't give me that look, I can say if my mother is beautiful, so don't judge). She had brownish red hair that reached her shoulders and her eyes were a shocking green.

She was born in Chiswick, London, England. She lived there until she was twelve, then her parents moved to America. They traveled around the country until they settled in New York, where my mother went to college and refused to lose her accent. She minored in Shakespearean Theatre and majored in Marine Biology, and from there she got a job as a Marine Biologist. After she got her degree, my grandparents passed away of unknown causes. For her first job she was sent to Japan, where she says she met my father. My Mom said that he filled the void in her heart that was created when my grandparents passed away. She says that he knew a lot about sea life, and she fell in love with him. He was said to love me as well, but I don't believe it as he left before I was born.

We lived in New York City until I was five years old. Then Mom was offered a job at the University of Washington as teacher. She really enjoyed it, but she always loved field work. When she was allowed, she took her students out into the Puget Sound and the surrounding areas to study the marine life. She took me along every time. I swear, I spent more time in the water than on land…and I actually felt more at home in the water. There were times when I was younger that I swore I saw girls in the water, but all of the older college kids said that I was making it up.

Then recently, a university in New York (well, Manhattan to be specific) offered my Mom a job that pays her more and has her do official lab and field work. It was offered unexpectedly, but it was good for Mom. She deserved to do what she loved.

"Almost!" I yelled to her.

I looked around my room, seeing how my life fit into five large boxes. What was left of my Transformers figure collection (I sold most of them ages ago and kept the ones I liked the most), my video games and movies, and my trophies were packed up. My Kendo sword was sitting in the corner of my room. My bed and spare blankets were really all that was left out, and the movers would carry it to the moving truck tomorrow.

"Do you at least have your bag packed for the trip?" asked Donna as she walked into his room.

"Yep. I have my PSP and my copy of Birth by Sleep, my IPOD and headphones, and a few days' worth of clothes until we get to New York."

"Good job sweetie. Are you still willing to help me drive to the new apartment?"

"Of course Mom. It's not fair for you to drive all the way across the country on your own. Besides, I need to use the license you made me get."

"Okay then. Make sure you finish packing and get to bed early. I'll drive until we need to fill up on gas, then we'll switch."

"Okay Mom. See you in the morning."

"Don't forget to brush your teeth!"

"Fine!"

I went to the bathroom and started brushing my teeth. After my teeth were clean, I looked myself over in the mirror. I was half Japanese and half white teenage boy who turned sixteen about a month ago. I was pretty tall, being six foot even with jet black hair. Despite the fact that I never use hair gel, my hair was spiky. It even had its own way of stylizing itself. The front concentrates the spikes on the right side of my head as if windswept, and the back is smoother and flakier. My eyes were bright sea green. After years of taking Kendo and Fencing, and constant swimming, I was very fit and muscular. I was considered very handsome by the girls at my school and by my mother's students, but I never saw why they thought that.1

As I lay in bed, I fidgeted with my ring. It was something I had for as long as I could remember. The ring looked like a dragon. Not like the traditional dragons' one sees in King Arthur movies, but like the ones that came from Japan and China. It was more of a serpentine dragon with the toed claws. It's body wrapped around my right ring finger twice. The detail on it was amazing. The scales of the dragon were clearly visible and dark blue in color, like sapphires. The head of the dragon looked like it had gold detailing. Its mouth was open, and in its mouth was a pearl. Whenever I felt worried or scarred, I would touch and fidget the ring, which gave me the feeling that I was always being watched over. Mom said that it was something my father left for me. When I first heard this, I almost threw the ring away, but I never could bring myself to actually do it. After a few minutes, I drifted into a dreamless sleep.

They next day we were off on the road. According to Mom, the movers would be at the apartment before us. I had ADHD, which meant that I had lots of pent up energy and couldn't sit still for long periods of time, as well as not being able to concentrate on one thing. However, when I was driving, I actually thought the world was moving slower. It made driving easier for me. I also noticed the same thing happen when I was in Kendo and Fencing tournaments.

We talked while we drove the car. Mom told me that her friend Sally Blofis nee Jackson called her yesterday while I was at school and is planning to help us unpack with her husband. She went on to say that she had a son my age named Percy, who she said was my best friend when we lived in New York. I told her I didn't remember him, but she said I was really young and that we'll reconnect once we get to know each other. She even said that she has a few pictures of us somewhere in her photo albums. After a couple of days; we finally arrived in Manhattan early on Friday morning.

"Here we are." said my Mom with a smile. I smiled too, because I could tell she was really happy.

"Let's get in the apartment." I said after saving my current file of Birth by Sleep. I was currently about to fight the Xehanort possessed Terra in the Final Episode of the game with the best version of Aqua I could prep. "I really need to stretch my legs."

We got out of the car and walked into the apartment complex. It wasn't new, per say, but it wasn't old. According to Mom, it was recently renovated. When we got into the apartment, which was had nice golden brown walls in the living room; I saw that all of our stuff was there. I looked around and saw my room. It was painted blue and dull gray and had a window that let in a good amount of light. The boxes that had all of my stuff were already in the room as well as my bed.

"Well this is nice" said Mom. I turned around and saw that she was looking around my room. "Once you're all unpacked, I bet it will feel more like home."

"Yea, I guess it will." I said.

"Let's get started then, shall we?"

"Let's."

We started to unpack our stuff. I got my most basic necessities, such as my bed sheets, my PSP charger, my lamp, and fan when there came a knocking on the front door. I heard my Mom open the door and she squealed in excitement. I ran out to the front room and saw that Mom was hugging a woman with warm smile, and long straight brown hair with a few gray strands in it, but, otherwise, she doesn't look old and her eyes are sparkly blue.

"Sally!" said my Mom. "You haven't changed one bit!"

"You haven't either!" said the woman known as Sally Blofis. "I can't believe you're here. It's been too long."

"I know and I'm sorry." Mom said. Then a man that looked thirty-something,' with longish salt-and-pepper hair, and wearing a brown jacket over a black T-shirt. He reminded me of a television actor. "Oh Sally, who's this?"

"This is Paul Blofis." Mrs. Blofis said. "My husband."

"Hi, I'm Paul." Mr. Blofis said as he offered his hand. Mom shook it and she was blushing.

"Oh, you're handsome." said Mom. "_Rose-cheeked Adonis hied him to the chase._"

"Venus and Adonis, line 3." Paul stated. "Sally didn't tell me you read Shakespeare."

"Ooo. Smart and handsome." Mom said. "I can see why Sally likes you."

"Ah Mom, please don't flirt with a married man." I begged. The three adults noticed me and Sally came forward.

"Is this handsome young man that cute little Tsunayoshi?" asked Mrs. Blofis. She put her hands on my shoulders and I felt a… motherly energy around her. "You've grown into such a handsome man. I haven't seen you since you were five."

"Uh…umm… thanks?" I said. I didn't know how to react to that and I started to mess with my ring.

"Say Sally?" asked Mom. Mrs. Blofis turned around. "Where is Percy? I would have thought he would have liked to meet Tsuna again."

"Oh he's at school." Mrs. Blofis said. "But he should get off in a few hours."

"Speaking of which," started Mr. Blofis, "What grade are you in Tsuna?"

"What? Oh! Sorry." I said, a bit distracted. "I'm a sophomore."

"Same grade as Percy." Mr. Blofis stated. "That's good. I can help get you enrolled at Goode High School by Monday."

"Really?" Mom asked. "Oh thank you! Thank you!"

"It's no problem." said Paul as he took off his coat. "Now, let's start unpacking."

After unpacking for an hour, Mom and I got really hungry. We ordered three large pizzas for our late lunch. Paul offered to pay, but Mom paid the delivery guy first. When it got closer to three o'clock, Mr. and Mrs. Blofis said goodbye to Mom and I.

"It was good meeting you two." said Mr. Blofis. He shook my hand and hugged my Mom.

"We really need to catch up." Mom said as she hugged Mrs. Blofis.

"We really do." said Mrs. Blofis. "How about you and Tsuna come over to dinner tomorrow night? We'll have a really nice dinner."

"So we can dress up?" asked Mom. I groaned because I hated dressing up.

"A fancy dinner… yea we can do that, can't we Paul?" asked Mrs. Blofis. He nodded as he put on his coat. "Okay, how about you come over around five, we eat at six, then we mingle till eight where we can have dessert?"

"That works for us, right Tsuna?" wondered Mom.

"I have no plans." I said with a shrug.

After saying good bye again, Mom and I were left alone for the rest of the night. We had leftover pizza for dinner, and we unpacked until about eight. While Mom unpacked, she had me set up the TV and my Playstation so we could watch Netflix. We both showered and sat on the couch under a blanket and watched a few episodes of Doctor Who. While I showered, Mom went to the local grocery store and got us each a personal container of ice cream- hers was Chocolate Chocolate Nut (Chocolate Ice Cream with Chocolate Coated Almond Clusters), while mine was Mint Nittany (Mint Flavored Ice Cream with Oreo Cookies). We were currently on the season where the Doctor was against a large alien spider queen and his companion was a red head in a wedding dress, which just happened to be named Donna Noble.

"She looks like you, acts like you, and has the same name. What are the odds?" I wondered.

"I don't see it." Mom said with a spoon in her mouth.

"Really? You don't see it?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Okay then Mom."

The entirety of the next day consisted of Mom and I filling out enrollment forms that Mr. Blofis brought over that morning. After Mom called the university she now works for and found out that they are paying for my schooling since she is working for them. Every hour or so we would get off the table and rearrange the living room to get away from the boring paperwork. As it got closer to five, we finished the paperwork and took showers to get ready for dinner.

After my shower I got dressed in my room. Mom already chose and ironed my clothes. She picked out a solid black dress shirt with black dress pants and a dark blue hooded jacket. When I stepped out Mom was already in the kitchen waiting for me. She was wearing a red silk blouse, a black skirt, and her emerald necklace that brought out her eyes.

"What d'you think? Flapper? Or slapper?"

"Flapper." I said with a smile. "But I think the necklace is a bit too much, don't you?"

"Am I bovvered?"

"Mom please don't start-"

"Am I bovvered?"

"No you're not. You look lovely. Let's go."

With her hooking her arm with mine, we left and went to Mrs. Blofis's house (well, it's an apartment). It turns out that the Blofis's lived only two blocks away from us and they lived on the third floor. We were rung in and when we got to the door Paul greeted us. He took my jacket and hung it up. Mom handed him the enrollment forms and he said he'll take them to the school tomorrow.

"Yay, a new school." I said under my breath. "This ought to be fun."

"Donna! Tsuna!" said Mrs. Blofis, who was wearing a blue Sunday dress that had white lace. "How are you?!"

"We're good." Mom said. "We got a lot of our stuff unpacked after you and Paul left, and we had to fill out paperwork for Tsuna's schooling today. Apparently, since I'm working for the university Tsuna goes to school for free!"

"Really? That's great!" Mrs. Blofis said. Then she realized something. "Percy, come out here and meet the Nobles."

Out came a teenager that appeared my age. He was fairly tall with jet black and bright sea green eyes. I could tell that he was very fit and muscular. He was wearing a dark green dress shirt with a blue tie and looked really uncomfortable. For a second, I thought I saw my reflection, because he looked sort of like me.

"Percy, these are the Nobles." said Mrs. Blofis. "This is Donna-"

"Nice to see you again Percy." Mom said. "You have grown into such a handsome young man since I last saw you."

"Thanks." Percy said with a blush forming on his face.

"And this is Tsuna." said Mrs. Blofis. "The two of you used to play together when you were young."

"Nice to meet you…again, I guess." I said as I offered him my hand. He took it and we shook.

"You too." He said with a nervous smile.

After that, it started to feel awkward. It was kind of hard to explain, but Percy had this aura around him that just screamed troubled teen. But there was something else about Percy that felt weird, but also somewhat comforting. I couldn't place where, but I swore I saw the look in Percy's eyes before.

"Percy," started Mrs. Blofis, "Show Tsuna your room. Donna, Paul, and I need to talk."

"Okay Mom." Percy said. "Come on dude."

I followed Percy to his room. He led me in and I was bombarded with blue. Blue everywhere. Blue walls, blue carpet, clue curtains, and blue bed sheets. One side of the room held a dresser. The other had Percy's bed and a night stand. He had a few shelves hung up on the wall that had a few pictures. On Percy's walls were posters of fish, a black Pegasus and a drawing of a man that looked like he was half fish and was holding a three pronged spear while riding a wave.

"Who's this?" I asked.

"That's Poseidon." Percy said proudly. "God of the Sea."

"From Greece, right?" I asked.

"Yea." He said.

"You're really into Greek Mythology, aren't you?" I wondered.

"Why d'you say that?" he asked.

"Well, there's a poster of a Pegasus and Poseidon hanging on your wall. You have a small book about the myths, even though it looks like it's barely been opened. And then there's-" I explained.

"Okay I get it. You think I'm weird." said Percy, a little hurt.

"Not really. I think it's pretty cool." I said, trying to make him feel better.

"Really?" he asked

"Yea. I always wanted to learn more about the Greek Gods, but I have a really hard time reading." I said.

"Why is that?" Percy wondered.

"Oh, I have Dyslexia. The words seem to jump of the page and rearrange themselves." I said, feeling a bit more relaxed around Percy.

"You have Dyslexia?" He asked with his eyes wide.

"Yea, since I was born. I was even diagnosed with ADHD when I was younger." I stated.

"You're kidding?!" Percy was bewildered.

"I'm telling the truth." I said.

"I have Dyslexia and ADHD too!" He blurted out.

"You're joking?!" I asked.

"No I'm not!" He said with a chuckle.

We started laughing. I felt really comfortable with Percy. It was like we were best friends for ages. I sat on the ben and noticed a bronze colored pen. Even with the light on, I could tell that it had a barely noticeable bronze glow to it. Curious, I picked it up. I noticed that it had a word written on it. I read it to myself slowly.

"_Ana..klus…mos._" I thought. "_Riptide._ _Wait, how did I know that?!_"

"Are you all right Tsuna?" asked Percy.

"What? Oh yeah." I said. "Nice pen."

"Thanks. That was a gift from an old teacher of mine." Percy said as he took the pen out of my hand.

"That was nice of him." I said. "Was that Greek inscribed on the pen?"

"Well, it's Ancient Greek. Why" He wondered.

"Oh no reason." I said. "_How did I read Ancient Greek?_"

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked as he put his hand on my shoulder. However, before I could answer, Mrs. Blofis called us.

"Boys! Dinner is ready!" Mrs. Blofis said.

Percy and I walked out to the dining area. Mrs. Blofis had put out some expensive looking china. The white table cloth looked like it was made of silk. As Percy and I sat down, Mom and Mr. Blofis brought out dishes that had mashed potatoes, corn, and a gravy boat. Mrs. Blofis carried out the roast beef. Surrounding the roast beef were baby carrots and small onions. The smell was divine.

"Eat up everyone!" said Mrs. Blofis.

We scooped up the food. After a few minutes, Mrs. Blofis went to the oven and brought out a tray of fresh rolls and a tray of butter. Mr. Blofis brought out a bottle of wine for the adults and a bottle of apple cider for me and Percy. While we ate the amazing food, we talked.

"So Tsuna, do you have any disabilities?" Mrs. Blofis asked.

"Oh, well…I have ADHD and Dyslexia." I admitted. "That's all I have really."

"Just like Percy." said Mr. Blofis.

"Will this affect the enrollment process Mr. Blofis?" I asked.

"Call me Paul." He said. "And it shouldn't affect he process too much."

We finished dinner after a while. We shared stories and laughed. Percy and I got along really well, like best friends. From what I could tell, Mom and Mrs. Blofis acted like Mom never moved away. After dinner, Mrs. Blofis brought out a chocolate cake smothered in blue frosting and a tub of vanilla ice cream.

It was near nine before Mom said we had to go. I didn't want to go, mostly because I was having a lot of fun and he was a cool person. But Mom did overdo it on the wine a bit, so I needed to take her home. We said our goodbyes and put on our coats.

"Hey Tsuna, wait up!" yelled Percy before we left the apartment.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Do you want to hang out tomorrow?" Percy asked.

"Um…" I said, a bit shocked.

"Go ahead Tsuna." Mom said. "We unpacked a lot of our stuff already and I have some things to do at the university. Besides, it would do you some good to get reacquainted with Percy."

"I guess that's a yes then Percy." I said with a smile.

"Cool. Just come over around 8 in the morning tomorrow." said Percy.

"Okay. See ya Percy." I said. "Thanks for having us Mrs. and Mr. Blofis."

"It's no problem dear." said Mrs. Blofis. "And please, call us by our first names."

We left after that. It was quite dark outside. Mom was barely tipsy, but her balance was off, so I had to support her. You would think that we would have been mugged, considering the way we were dressed and how late it was, but nobody came at us, which was a good thing. We got home in a few minutes and I unlocked the door.

"Off to bed, I think." Mom said. "Don't wake me tomorrow. I have an alarm set for ten. Make sure you eat something before you head over to Percy's."

"Yes, mother dear." I said. As she turned around, I went up and hugged her. She was a bit startled, but she hugged back. "Thanks for the move, Mom. Good night."

I went into my room and got into my sleeping clothes. They were simple and comfortable, consisting of a white shirt and black shorts. The shirt has a black coloration for the collar and arm the center of the shirt has a picture of a black serpentine dragon. The shorts had a yin yang symbol on the lower left side of the pants. I jumped into bed and wrapped myself in my IKEA brand comforter and snuggled down into my pillows. With a loud yawn that doubled as a sigh, I played with my dragon ring.

"_I made a friend._" I thought as I drifted off into the realm of dreams.

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**First chapter down, many more to go. I hoped everyone enjoyed it. Pleas review and tell me what you think of the first chapter. Stay tuned for the next chapter and have a nice day.**

**1. He basically looks like Roxas from the Kingdom Hearts series. I always have trouble designing most of my characters, but I hope I made him sound different enough.**


	2. Chapter II Tsuna

**Please enjoy and review.**

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**Chapter 2 Tsuna**

I had a terrible nightmare that night. It was the worst I have ever had in my entire life. The first thing I noticed was that I wasn't wearing normal clothes. It looked like ancient Japanese clothing, and I somehow that it was called a kimono. On the black half coat, the montsuki, was black with deep blue wave patterns at the edges. My pants, called hakama, were long and really baggy for my tastes and colored sea green. I was wearing sandals and very thin socks, called tabi.

The next thing I noticed was that I was on a beach. To my left was a forest that was beautifully green, and in the distance was a large snow topped mountain. I have seen that mountain before in my Godzilla movies that I used to watch. The mountain was Mt. Fuji. Between my current attire and Mt. Fuji, I knew I was in Japan.

The sky darkened with storm clouds. It started to pour rain and hail. I never got wet or hit by the hail. I heard the sound of metal against metal and a loud hiss, like a snake. I ran towards the sounds and saw two twelve foot men fighting. One was a noble looking man wearing the armor of a samurai and wielding a long blade, a katana I think it's called.

The other man wasn't wearing any armor, but at least he was wearing pants. While the samurai was using his sword, the bare chested man was using his bare hands. There were moments where I swore the bare chested man's hands looked like snake heads. I tried yelling at them to stop, but they didn't hear me.

There were times when the samurai swung his sword that a blade of water was formed. The other warrior ducked and released fire from his mouth. The water blade and the fire canceled each other out. The steam it created reached me, and I couldn't see what was going on. I then heard that hiss again, then seven more. I looked around and saw a shadow in the mist. It grew larger and larger, until it toward far above me. It then looked right at me, and then it attacked me.

"AHH!" I screamed, sitting straight up in bed and covered in sweat. My heart was pounding in my chest. I tried to make sense of the dream, but I really didn't want to think about it. That snake creature terrified me more than anything in my entire life. I fiddled with my ring as I got out of bed.

I looked at my alarm clock and saw that it was seven in the morning. Calming down, I went to the bathroom and took a shower. As soon as I got into the hot water, I felt better. I felt calmer and a bit more energetic. I got out about fifteen minutes later, toweled off, and brushed my teeth. By the time I got back to my room, it was seven twenty. I decided that I should get going, so I got dressed for the day. Since I didn't know what Percy and I were going to do, I dressed in casual, comfortable clothing. I was wearing a white shirt with a black hooded jacket zipped half way and dark blue jeans.

On my way out of my house I grabbed a banana. I also noticed an envelope that had my name on it. In it were a couple of dollars and a note. The note was from Mom. It said:

Tsuna,

Here's some money for the subway and a lunch. Be a good boy.

Love Mom

Smiling, I put the money in my wallet and left my apartment. I ate the banana on my way to Percy's and finished it as I got to his apartment complex. I climbed the stairs and got to the door and knocked. After a moment, Mrs. Blofis opened the door.

""Tsuna!" she said in surprise. "You're early."

"I am?" I asked.

"Yea, about fifteen minutes. Percy isn't even awake yet." She said. I noticed that she was wearing a blue business suit and her make-up was partly on.

"Oh," I said nervously. I began messing with my ring and looked away from her. "Sorry. I…I guess I'll…comeback later then."

"Don't worry about it sweetie." Mrs. Blofis said. "Come on inside."

She didn't give me a chance to say anything. She grabbed my shoulder and led me inside and had me sit on the couch. She went to the bathroom and finished applying her make-up. I looked around while I waited. Turns out that Mrs. Blofis had a lot of pictures of Percy. Before I could grab a picture and get a closer look at them, Mrs. Blofis came out.

"How do I look Tsuna." She asked. The make-up wasn't necessary.

"You look beautiful." I said with a slight blush.

"Thank you dear." She said. "Are you hungry? I could make you breakfast if you want?"

"No thank you Mrs. Blofis." I said.

"Now Tsuna, please call me Sally." She said.

"Sorry." I said, looking away and feeling really uncomfortable. Mrs. Blofis, I mean Sally, smiled and got off the couch. A minute later she came out with a glass of orange juice.

"Drink this." She said.

"Thanks." I said.

"Tsuna, you need to relax." Sally said. "There's nothing going to happen to you."

"Sorry, it's just that I get really uncomfortable in awkward moments." I admitted. "Not that talking to you is awkward, Sally."

"Thank you dear." said Sally. It was quite for a few minutes. "Tsuna…"

"Yea?" I asked.

"I was wondering…" she started, "What was your father like?"

"My father?" I asked with visible anger on my face. "Why do you want to know about him?"

"I'm just wondering." She said. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, it's okay." I said. "It's just that my father is a touchy subject for me."

"Why is that?" she asked.

"Well, I never met the man." I said. "He left before I was born."

"I'm so sorry." Sally said. She put her hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks." I said. "But it's okay. Since he left before I was born, I have no memory of him to say if he was a good or bad father."

"So you don't have any memories of you father?" Sally asked.

"No." I said. "Well…"

"What is it dear?" wondered Sally.

"It's not much," I started, "but it's the earliest memory I have. I remember this warm, gentle light over my crib. This light looked like a sunrise over the sea. And then there was the smell that I later found out was the sea itself."

Sally had a curious look on her face. She was about to say something when Percy walked out of his room. He was obviously still half-asleep as his eyes were barely open. He was also in his sleep wear. He was wearing a form fitting black shirt and blue boxers. He walked straight into the kitchen and didn't notice me or Sally. As I heard the fridge open and something being poured, I gave Sally a questioning look. She just shrugged her shoulders. Percy then walked out while drinking a glass of milk and looked at Sally and I. His eyes went wide and he began choking on his milk. I instantly jumped up and practically dragged him to the sink and made him cough up the milk.

"You-you're…uh…here…early." Percy coughed out.

"So I've been told." I said with a laugh.

"Percy! Are you alright?!" Sally asked after she rushed into the kitchen.

"He's fine." I said. "Just a…little choked up."

"Oh thank goodness." Sally said, placing her hand over her heart. "I nearly had a heart attack. Oh no! I'm late!"

"Where is Sally going?" I asked as she rushed into her bedroom.

"She has a meeting with her publicist." Percy said. "Mom has a new book based on Greek mythology planned, and wants it to be published."

"Really?!" I asked. "Well, I can't wait to read it. Actually, I can't wait to listen to it. Thank God for Audiobooks."

"Yea, I guess." Percy said.

"Percy, I got to go." Sally said while she dug through her purse. "Here's $30 for something for you two to do. Also get you two something to eat. Bye sweetie. Bye Tsuna."

"Is she always like that?" I asked after Sally kissed out foreheads and left the apartment.

"Sometimes." Percy said. He then realized that he was still in his pajamas. "Uh, wait in the living room until I get ready, okay?"

"Yea, no problem." I said. I walked into the living room and continued to look at the pictures.

There was a picture of Percy, about the age of seven, playing on a beach. The water appeared grey. Percy was building a sand castle and was giving the camera a goofy smile. Written on the bottom left corner was the word Montauk. Then there was a picture of a sixteen year old Percy with boy the age of 13 year old boy. This boy had a head full of black hair that looked like he just got out of bed. He had pale white skin, dark eyes, and was wearing mostly black clothing underneath an old aviator's jacket. On his finger was a silver skull ring and to his side was a black pocket knife.

The picture looked really recent. The boy and Percy were playing a weird card game that involved dice and miniature figurines as well as the cards. Percy looked angry and confused, while to boy looked like he wasn't having enough of a challenge. I chuckled as I put the picture back.

"_I never knew Percy had a little brother._" I thought. "_I wonder where he is. Why wasn't he at dinner last night? He probably stayed at a friend's last night._"

I grabbed another picture. This one had a twelve year old Percy and two other people, a boy and a girl. All three of them were wearing orange shirts that said Camp Half-Blood. The girl had curly golden blonde hair with gray eyes and a natural tan. The boy looked slightly older than Percy, with curly brown hair, brown eyes, and a thin wispy beard. I could tell that Percy was the one who took the picture as his arm was mostly extended and that they were really close to each other. Percy had a smile that told me that he was absolutely happy.

"_I guess that is how happiness looks when you have friends._" I thought. "_I hope I can feel that happy one day._"

"That's Annabeth and Grover, my best friends." said Percy. I turned around and saw that he was dressed. He was wearing jeans and a light blue shirt with a dark blue jacket unzipped over it. "Ready?"

"Yea." I said.

As we left the apartment, Percy grabbed an apple for the two of us. We walked in silence for a little bit as we ate our apples. After we tossed our apple cores, I began to get curious as to where Percy was taking me and what he had planned for the day. Also, it was uncomfortably quite, so I started a conversation.

"So…" I began. "Where's your brother Percy?"

"Huh?" Percy asked. "What brother?"

"The black haired boy in the picture of that card game." I said. "He wore black, looked twelve…"

"Oh that's Nico." Percy said. "He's not my little brother, although I treat him like it. Technically, he's my, uh…cousin."

"That's cool." I said. "On what side is he your cousin?"

"My father's." said Percy. "Oh, we're here."

I looked ahead and saw that we were at a large brick building with a fence around it. It looked old. There was a plaque near the front gate that said Goode High School. Percy led me to our high school.

"So this is our high school?" I asked.

"Yep." Percy said with a smile. "Paul teaches here as an English teacher. But he's not my teacher though. I got Dr. Boring."

"Wha-what's his name?" I laughed out. "Dr. Boring? You're kidding me?!"

"I'm serious. That's his actual name." said Percy.

We laughed for several minutes. Then we walked to the subway station where Percy paid for my fare. He said that we were going to Grand Central Station, as there is more stuff to do near there. While riding the train, I asked Percy about his youth.

"Well, there's really not much to talk about really." He started. "You could say that I had a troubled childhood. I hated my first stepfather. I called him Smelly Gabe. He was a terrible person, but Mom stayed with him to protect me-"

"Protect you from what?" I asked.

"And because I have Dyslexia and ADHD," he continued, ignoring me, "So school was hard. Because of those 'issues', I was kicked out of six schools in six years."

"Wait, six schools in six years?" I asked. "What happened?!"

"Well," started Percy, "In Fourth Grade, I accidently hit the wrong leaver on the catwalk when my school was visiting Sea World Shark Pool and made my class take an unplanned swim, then in Fifth grade I accidentally fired a war cannon which hit the school bus. Stuff like that happened and I thought I was cursed. Then I went to my summer camp-"

"Camp Half-Blood." I interrupted.

"Yea. How did you know that is what it was called?" he asked.

"That picture with…Annabeth and Grover was it? The orange shirts you three wore said Camp Half-Blood." I explained.

"Oh, right." He said. "Anyways, after a summer at Camp Half-Blood, I was able to stay in schools longer and not get expelled. I have been at Goode High for two years, all thanks to Paul."

"Paul seems like a really nice guy." I said.

"He is." Percy said. "I've never seem my mom happier."

"Well, you're not the only one with issues with the educational system." I said.

"What did you do?" asked Percy, his curiosity peaked.

"Nothing much." I said. "One time, Third Grade I think it was, my class went to the Seattle Aquarium. It was really fun and I was on my best behavior. Anyways, my class had special permission to feed the octopuses at the aquarium. By the way, it is very weird to watch an octopus eat. So, when I got to the pool with the food in my hands, all the octopuses came right to me. As I was feeding them, a bully called me a freak then pushed me into the pool. I started crying and got out of the water quickly, then that bully grabbed me by the wrists and told me to stop being a baby. I got myself out of his grip and pushed him into the pool. As soon as he tried to get out of the water, he said that 'I was going to get it'. But as he said that, the octopuses…well, they attacked him."

"And you were blamed?" asked Percy.

"Well, I did push him back." I said.

"That's not fair! He was the one who pushed you in first!" yelled Percy. The other riders on the train began looking at us.

"I think the octopuses scarred him for life." I thought aloud.

"Anything else happened?" Percy asked.

"Hmm, in Middle School," I started, "I was taking a Chemistry final. This school was more 'hands on', so we were allowed to use actual chemicals as long as we followed the instruction. The teacher was taking forever, and with my ADHD, I was practically bouncing off the walls. The teacher warmed me several times to calm down. So when we were finally allowed to start mixing chemicals, my Dyslexia acted up and I grabbed the wrong chemicals. Let's just say, they can't use that lab for a while."

After I told Percy some more of what happened to me, we arrived at Grand Central Station. I've never been here before. It wasn't very busy. The way the light was in the large room made everything appear like gold. It was a cool sight. Percy grabbed me by the crook of my arm and dragged me to a candy store called Sweet on America.

"Is that Percy Jackson?" said a high pitched voice from behind a counter. This woman had short black hair with lots of pink highlights. She looked like she was in her late twenties and wearing a red, white, and blue uniform. "I haven't seen you in years."

"Hey Melissa." Percy said. "How are you doing?"

"Good." Melissa said. "Say, how's your mom been doing?"

"She's great." Percy said. "She's actually talking to her publicist about printing another book."

"That's fantastic!" Melissa said. "Who's this?"

"This is Tsuna." Percy said. "He's new to New York so I'm showing him around."

"Ah, that's sweet." Melissa said. I started to blush a bit. "Y'know, this place is really dead right now. So how about I give you two each a free bag of candy?"

"Really?" Percy asked. She nodded. "Thanks! I'll have a bag of blue jelly beans. What will you have Tsuna?"

"Chocolate mints please." I said. Melissa scooped out our candy and gave us the bags. We said our good byes and left Grand Central Station.

We walked around the city for a while until Percy led us into a mall. We went through several shops. One shop we went through was a Gamestop. We looked as a couple of games, and since Percy had a Wii in his room, we both bought Super Smash Bros Brawl. Then we went into a skateboard shop. Percy found one that (surprise) had a black Pegasus on it while I found one that had a dragon riding on tidal waves. We thought they were cool, but they were way too expensive.

"That looks cool." Percy said as he looked at the board in my hand. "A little artsy though, isn't it?"

"Artsy?" I asked. "Percy, dragons are cool."

"Not if you have seen one up close." He muttered to himself. I was about to say something, but I let it drop.

It was getting close to lunch, and as if on cue both my and Percy's stomachs growled with hunger. We went to the food court and looked around for something to eat. One thing that stuck out to me was an IHOP Express. It was the most outrageous thing I ever saw (I mean, an IHOP in a mall food court, seriously?) However, pancakes sounded fantastic, so Percy and I got some. I ordered the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes with a Pepsi and Percy got the Double Blueberry Pancakes with a Root Beer. I decided to share our lunch, so we cut our pancakes in half and traded. The lunch was great.

After lunch we looked through several more stores. Then near 3:00 we went to the movie theater. The movie we decided to watch was the live action Blue Beetle film starring Tristan McLean. Percy had enough money left to buy the tickets himself, but I insisted that we split the tickets and the ICEEs.

"So…how'd you like the movie?" I asked.

"Well, it was no Avengers or Dark Knight Rises." Percy said.

"Yea, not McLean's best movie." I said. I checked my watch and saw that it was close to five. "We should probably head home."

"I guess." Percy said.

We walked back to Grand Central Station and took the subway back home. Percy and I discussed Goode High School some more. We still talked about it on the walk back to our apartments. When we had to split up, I said good bye to Percy. I was near my apartment complex when I heard Percy calling out to me.

"Tsuna! Hey Tsuna!" yelled Percy.

"What is it Perce?" I asked.

"Oh, uh…I just wanted to ask if you wanted to walk to school with me tomorrow?" he asked, a little winded.

"Sure?" I said kind of questioning him.

"Great!" said Percy. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya." I said as he turned around and ran to his apartment.

When I entered my place, I saw Mom had covered the coffee table with folders. There were text books on the floor and she was reading a Peer Review Journal. Mom didn't even look up when I entered the room.

"Busy day at the office Mom?" I asked. Mom popped her head right up.

"Oh Tsuna, you're finally home." Mom said. "How was your day?"

"It was great." I told her. I went on to tell her everything Percy and I did today. She kept wondering if I saw any cute girls, so I blushed and told her to shut it. I sat on the couch and looked over the folders. Even with my Dyslexia I could tell that they were about marine life. "What's this all about? A class your teaching?"

"In a manner of speaking…" started Mom.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I'll talk about it later sweetie." Mom said. "Are you hungry?"

"No, I ate a lot of junk food today, so I'm just going to relax in my room and watch Netflix before bed." I said.

"Ok. See you in the morning Tsuna." said Mom. She stood up and pulled me into a hug and kissed my head.

"Night Mom." I said as I walked back into my room.

After I got into my usual sleeping clothes, I turned on my PS3 and set up Netflix. I started listening in on BBC's Merlin while I grinded in my three Birth by Sleep save files. I got thirsty near 9 o'clock, so I went out to the kitchen and got a glass of water. That was when I heard Mom on the phone.

"-I know it's really unexpected Sally. But I have to go, or the university will, as they put it, 'look somewhere else'. I'll pay you for watching over him. I just don't want him to be by himself. You will? Oh, thank you Sally! I owe you a big one! I'll see you tomorrow then. Okay, bye."

"What was that all about?" I asked.

"Tsuna!" yelled Mom. "I didn't know you were there."

"I was just getting a drink of water before bed." I said with a quizzical look. "What's going on? You're never this distracted. And why were you talking to Sally this late at night?"

"Well, I was hoping to tell you tomorrow." She said.

"Tell me what?" I asked.

"Tsuna, I'm going on a sea expedition tomorrow that will last for two weeks." Mom said. "I'm going up north to study marine life."

"What?!" I yelled. "But-but you just started your job today! How can you leave tomorrow?!"

"The Head of the Marine Sciences division at the university says I have to go or else I lose my job." Mom explained.

"That's not fair!" I argued. "Is that even legal!"

"Tsuna calm down!" Mom said. "Your eyes are changing color!"

When she said that, I started to calm myself down. You see, I have something called idiosyncrasy. The textbook definition of idiosyncrasy (according to Mom) is an unusual feature of a person. Whenever I get angry or really upset, my eyes change color from sea green eyes to a dark blue-ish grey. It's something that I try to hide from other people, so I attempt to bottle my negative emotions.

"Are you okay?" Mom asked. I nodded. "Oh thank God. Your eyes are back to normal."

"But why do you have to go?" I asked.

"Tsuna, this request came out of the blue." said Mom. "The call you just heard, that was me asking Sally if you could stay over there until I get back."

"I can't just stay at Percy's Mom!" I said. "I barely know them, plus it's not fair at all to them!"

"It's for the best Tsuna." Mom said. "Especially since you and Percy are the same age and go to the same school. And it's not like we won't be able to talk to each other. There will be a satellite phone on the boat, so we can talk any time."

"But Mom-" I started.

"TSUNAYOSHI NOBLE! That is enough!" screamed Mom. It was rare for Mom to yell at me. It was even rarer for her to use my full name. "This conversation is over. Tomorrow before I head off to the boat, Paul is going to take your bed over to his place, and after school tomorrow you are to walk with Percy to his house. Now, go to your room and go to bed."

I stormed off and slammed my door. I jumped into my bed and punched my pillows, then screamed into them. I didn't fall asleep for a couple of hours. I eventually fell asleep but my alarm seemed to go off a few minutes later. I got up, dressed, and left my apartment, not even saying goodbye to Mom. Percy and I met up not long after that.

"Hey Tsuna" Percy said with a goofy smile. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine Percy." I said with a yawn.

"Did you sleep alright dude?" He asked.

"Not really." I said.

"So my mom said that you're staying over at my place for a few days." said Percy.

"Yea, I found out about that last night." I said.

"That's cool!" he said. "I always wanted to have a sleepover."

"Aren't we a little old for sleepovers Perce?" I asked, a smile appearing on my face.

"I don't think so." He said. "I told mom I will gladly share my room with you, since we don't have guest room."

"You don't have to do that Percy." I said. "I don't want to be burden."

"You're not a burden Tsuna, you're my friend." Percy said. His smile was infectious, which caused me to smile. He then threw his arm around my shoulder. "My friends are never burdens. Besides, mom always makes even better food when we have company."

It was weird. I've only known Percy a few days but I felt more comfortable with him than anybody else I knew. In no time, I was in a better mood. We then arrived at Goode High School. Percy led me to the school's office. After I talked to the secretary, Percy had to go and said that he'll see me at lunch. The secretary handed me my schedule and set me on my way.

I got lost in no time. All the halls looked the same and the halls were already cleared of students. I wondered around aimlessly for several minutes. While looking down at my schedule (and walking backwards out of frustration), I bumped into a janitor. He was a really old Japanese guy. He looked so old that he looked like that he could barely hold himself up. He was pudgy with a noticeable hunchback. A bandana covered his forehead and wrapped around his head.

"Watch were you're going, orokana kodomo." The janitor said with a thick Japanese accent1. His mouth sounded like it was stuffed with peanut butter. I didn't respond to his insult, but I was curious about it.

"Sorry sir." I said and bowed my head slightly. It seemed like the most polite thing to do. "I'm new here, so I don't know where my class is. Could you show me where it is?"

I lifted my schedule to show him what class I was in. He grabbed the paper, but when he saw my ring, he just starred at it. It was really creepy. But what was even creepier was that his breathing deepened, like he was an animal catching the scent of its prey. He looked up at me, as if he was staring right into my soul, and then took the schedule out of my hand.

"That's an interesting ring boy." The janitor said. "Is it of Japanese origin?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" I asked.

"I like seeing relics from my homeland." said the janitor. "Ever since I was forced to come to this country, I yearn to see anything from my country. Follow me boy."

He led me to my class. During the walk, he didn't say anything, but he did look back at me every now and again. When we arrived at the classroom, he walked away. Thinking that the janitor was weird and really creepy, I walked into the class room.

"What have we here?" asked the teacher. He has black hair that was gelled back and a five o'clock shadow. He was wearing black pants and a black trench coat buttoned all the way.

"Sorry sir." I said. I handed him the note that the secretary gave me.

"Ah, the new student." said the teacher. "Tsunayoshi? Is that how you say it?"

"Yes sir, but I prefer Tsuna." I said.

"Well, I'm Mr. Sylar. I prefer to just be called Sylar." said Sylar2. "Tell us about yourself."

I looked towards the class itself and saw several different cliques. There was a group of jocks in the back, the 'just barely dress code acceptable' girls on the wall near the door, the nerds and geeks near the front, and most surprisingly, Percy, near the window. He was smiling his smile and I was happy that I had at least one friend in the class.

"Hello everyone." I started. "My name is Tsunayoshi Noble, Tsuna for short. I recently moved here from Seattle, I trained in Kendo and Fencing and love to swim. And my favorite TV show is Doctor Who."

Nobody was paying attention. As expected. Percy, however, was. After I was finished, Mr. Sylar told me to take a seat next to Percy. I gladly did.

"Tsuna, just so you know, this is Biology 2." said Mr. Sylar. "Let's continue with the brain, shall we? Such a marvelous organ. And how much of it do we actually use? Ten percent of it, maybe twenty. Imagine the answers we'd have with a hundred percent. Why is there evil? How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? How do we make love stay?"

Class flew by quickly. As soon as the bell rang everyone in the class jumped right up and left the class. As I took out my schedule, Percy snatched it out of my hand. When he gave it back, he said our schedules were exactly the same.

"I guess Paul figured it would be easier for me if we were in the same classes." I said.

"That's probably the reason." Percy said. "Hey, there's something on your back."

"What?" I asked. He wiped the back of my shirt and showed me that it had a bunch of cobwebs on it.

So we went to our classes. After Biology we had a Free Period, so Percy showed me around the school. Then we went to English, and it was boring! Honestly, it was absolutely terrible, and the teacher himself was a bore! Ironically his name was Dr. Boring. And he had this terrible, obviously fake English accent or something like that, but I didn't get on him for it. And the fact that he was teaching Shakespeare… just kill me now. After English we had Lunch. I had the burger while Percy had the pizza. While eating the janitor that helped me out that morning was watching me and Percy while we ate.

"Who is that?" I asked, pointing at the janitor.

"Oh, that's Mr. Umo." said Percy. "He started here about two weeks ago. Personally, he creeps the hell out of me. When I first met him, I swore that he was sniffing me."

"He did that to me too." I exclaimed. "Then there was that thing he said to me."

"What did he say?" Percy asked.

"He called me an orokana kodomo." I said. "It means stupid kid."

"What language is that?" Percy asked.

"Japanese." I said. "But the thing is Percy, I don't speak Japanese."

"I thought you could?" Percy said.

"Why? Because I'm half-Japanese?" I asked, a bit hurt. "Please Percy."

After Lunch we went to Algebra. How dull. We had another Free Period after that. He and I walked around the exterior of the school until our last class, which was Gym. Gym was a great way to end my first day of school. All of my pent up energy from sitting in classes all day was used in a fantastic way-kickball. I hadn't played kickball in years and it was really fun to play. Percy and I were on separate teams. It was close, but I ended up winning for my team. I was on third base, and as the ball was kicked I ran to home. Percy somehow got the ball and was right on my tail, but I dove and scored.

After school Percy and I went to his house. When we got there we put our bags on the floor near Percy's room and Percy told me to just relax since we had no homework. I went into the kitchen for a drink and saw that there was a plate full of fresh blue chocolate chip cookies and a note. The note was from Sally which said:

"Hope you enjoyed your first day of school Tsuna! I'm glad that you're staying with us. You seem a bit more responsible than Percy, so make sure he doesn't eat all of the cookies. Paul and I went to the store to get stuff for dinner, so I'll be back soon-Sally"

"Oh man." said Percy. "Mom went all out for you. Her blue cookies are the best."

He tried to steal about five of them at a time but I pulled the plate away. I gave him the note and he groaned. He then poured us two glasses of milk and we sat on the couch and watched TV. After an hour we heard the door unlock and we got up. We saw that Sally and Paul had their arms full of grocery bags so we helped them out.

"Thank you." Sally said. She gave Percy and me a hug. "Tsuna tell me about your day."

So I did just that while she was putting away the groceries. Paul asked if I liked my schedule and I said that it was great. While Percy and I talked about school Sally and Paul made dinner. Paul made the tossed salad and Sally made the lasagna. It was fantastic. After dinner Percy and I did the dishes.

We then went to Percy's room (I guess it was also my room for now). My bed was brought over here. Percy's room was rearranged to accommodate my bed. Our beds faced each other and Percy's dresser was at the foot of his bed while a suit case filled with my clothes was at mine. Percy had a small TV and his Wii was connected to it. I went to take a shower and got into my sleeping clothes. After I got back into the room Percy went to take his shower so I played Super Smash Bros. Brawl. When he returned in a black shirt and blue boxers we played VS and co-op.

"Boys," said Sally as she entered the room, "Would you like to watch a couple of movies with me and Paul?"

"Sure." said Percy.

"What are the movies?" I wondered.

"I think Paul grabbed Grown Ups and Just go With It." said Sally. "They star Adam Sandler."

"He's funny." I said.

So we watched movies together, like a family. We watched Just Go with it first. After the first movie I made stove top popcorn for all of us. I made a bowl for Sally and Paul and a bowl for Percy and I. While watching the second movie I nearly choked on my popcorn. After the movies Sally and Paul did the dishes while Percy and I went to bed. Before we went to our room, I hugged Sally and Paul.

"Thanks for letting me stay here." I said.

"You're welcome Tsuna." said Sally. I then walked to my room and lied down on my bed.

Percy and I talked a bit while we drifted off to sleep. When I fell asleep I had another nightmare. I was in the sewers. The entire place was shrouded in webs. I was in a giant spider's net. I shuddered at the thought. I floated to the center of the web and saw a large spider shaped shadow. In front of it was a large glowing object.

"I think I found him, my liege." said the spider. "The Umi no Musuko is here."

"Are you sure it's him?" said a commanding voice that sounded like grinding stones.

"Yes I-" paused the spider.

"What is it?" asked the stony voice. "Why did you pause?"

"I- think I found two sons of the sea." The spider said.

"What do you mean two?!" the commanding voice demanded. "The sea god has only one son!"

"But the scent-" the spider started.

"Baka yarō!" screamed the voice. "Find the right scent! It must be one of these two boys. You should know that I do not tolerate failure, after I squished your wife."

"Yes Daranibō-sama." Said the spider with obvious anger.

"You have two weeks." said the voice. "If that son of the sea is not in my presence before then…well, at least your wife's death was quick."

I was shaken awake by Percy. He looked scared. He said that I was yelling in my sleep. I told it was just a nightmare, but he didn't look too sure. Looking at the clock, I decided that it was time for me to get up and get ready for school.

The days I stayed over at Percy's went by fast. Sally and Paul treated me like a second son. Percy and I were getting closer to each other. One could say that we were like brothers. Mom kept her promise of calling every day. I really missed her, but she said she was having fun so at least she was happy. But after a week her calls stopped coming. I was extremely worried, but I thought it was due to signal interference or something.

After the third day it was announced that there was going to be dance the Friday before Mom gets home. Percy said that he was bringing his girlfriend Annabeth to the dance and that I should go. He pestered me for ages to go so I said I would.

Speaking of Annabeth, I met her for the first time during my first Saturday staying at Percy's. I'll admit she's very beautiful with her blond hair and intense grey eyes. Apparently today marked their first month anniversary.

"So how did you two meet?" I asked Annabeth while Percy got everything ready. It was around nine in the morning.

"We met at our summer camp." Annabeth said. "When he first arrived at camp, he fainted. I was elected to feed him while he was passed out."

"Isn't that the sweetest thing?" I said. Percy walked out carrying a picnic basket. "I hope you didn't drool or anything when Annabeth fed you Percy."

"Oh, she told you about that..." Percy said with his face red. "Uh, do you wanna go Annabeth?"

"Sure." She said. "Nice meeting you Tsuna."

"You too." I said. "See ya Perce."

While Percy left, I picked up our room. It became a real mess in a few days. After that I finished the homework that was assigned the Friday before. I still had plenty of time to kill so I played more Birth by Sleep. Sally was tired from work, so we ordered in pizza. It was really late when Percy returned home. He was wearing a tux, which was weird as he left in jeans and a t-shirt.

"Nice tux." I said. "Where did you take Annabeth?"

"Oh, we went to a French restaurant." Percy said, trying to untie his tie.

"With what money?" I asked. "Come here, let my untie it."

After I untied his tie, he went to the bathroom to change. We went to sleep and I helped him with his homework the next day. We relaxed most of the day when there was a knock on the door near dinner. Sally opened the door and she sounded really happy.

"Percy! Nico's here!" Sally yelled. She led a boy of thirteen or so into our room. With his black hair and aviator's jacket, I figured that this was the boy in the picture.

"Nico? What are you doing here?" Percy asked.

"It's Sunday." Nico said. "Remember? You made me promise to come over for Sunday dinner at least once a month or you would drag me here yourself."

"Did I really say that?" asked Percy.

"It sounds like you." I said, extending my hand. "Hi Nico, I'm Tsuna. Nice to meet you."

"You too." Nico said with a small smile. He looked really cautious and nervous.

"Say Nico, do you like video games?" I asked.

"Huh?" he said. "Oh yea, I do."

"Here, play this." I said as I handed him my PSP.

"Why are you-" started Nico.

"Play the game; I think you'll like it." I said. Nico took my PSP and jumped on Percy's bed. The three of us talked until it was dinner. When I asked Nico where he lives he responded with down south.

"So how do you know Percy?" asked Nico, his face practically buried in the game.

"Well, we met when we were younger." I said. "According to our moms, we went to the same school together before I moved to Seattle. Then my mom got a job here in New York and we moved back here."

"That's cool." He said. "AH! That armor thing killed me again!"

"You're already at Trinity Armor?" I asked. "Did you skip the cut scenes or something?"

"They went by so slowly." Nico said. "I needed to skip them.

"Dinner's ready!" yelled Sally.

We all ate and talked. Nico and Percy did a lot of the talking. Something about Percy persuading Nico to go to camp for a little while. When I asked about their camp, the quieted up. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to feel about that. After dinner, Sally insisted that Nico stay the night, but Nico said that he had to go.

The Monday after was when my life started to feel like Hell. When Percy and I walked out of the school there was a large group of jocks waving around shinai (Kendo swords) like idiots. I was hardly impressed by them. They kept boasting that they were master swordsman after a week of training. While that irritated me, it meant nothing. Then they all saw me and Percy.

"Look who it is guys!" said their jock leader named Dylan. He was ugly. Short and fat with brown freckles that covered every inch of his arms and face. His hair was a dirty red, cut so short he was practically bald2. "It's the Japanese swordsman and his freak of a friend."

"Wow that hurt." I said sarcastically. "Not like I haven't heard worse. Come on Percy."

"Fine." said Percy, who had his fists clenched.

"Hey come back here." said Dylan. "We just wanted to talk."

"Yea I bet." said Percy.

"Shut it freak." said one of Dylan's goon.

"What do you want Dylan?" I asked emotionlessly.

"I heard you said that you were trained in Kendo-" said Dylan.

"And fencing, what's your point?" I asked.

"I challenge you to a duel." He said. When he said that I broke out laughing. Percy looked at me like I was crazy, while Dylan and his goons looked pissed.

"You? Challenge me?" I laughed even harder. "Let's go home Percy before I die of laughter."

"Hey, get back here!" yelled Dylan. I ignored him and coerced Percy to do the same. "Oh, I guess the chink is a coward!"

I stopped walking. Percy scowled and nearly attacked Dylan. I had to grab a tight hold on his arm to make him stop. He looked at my face and saw that while I was hurt, I wasn't going to let it rule me.

"Please ignore the fat Ging Percy." I said. "He's not worth our time."

"Okay." Percy said while restraining his anger. "Let's go home."

So we walked home. I didn't say anything. Percy was worried, but I could tell that he didn't know what to say. When we were a block away from the apartment, several of Dylan's goons blocked our way. Percy led me through an alley, but there was Dylan with his other goons. We were surrounded.

"What do you want Dylan?" Percy asked.

"Nothing you Greek Freak." Dylan said.

"You are really starting to piss me off Dylan." I said.

"What's with your eyes?" one of Dylan's goons asked. I realized that my eyes turned gray again.

"Never mind my eyes." I said. "Percy and I are leaving. Leave…us…alone."

We turned around and started walking out of the alley. Then I heard Dylan scream and run towards us. A strange feeling came over me. I became more aware of my surroundings. I could hear the whishing of wind from behind me. Everything appeared to be moving a bit slower than usual.

In an instant I pushed Percy into a wall and sidestepped to the right. In the corner of my eye I saw Dylan swing a metal pipe down where I was just standing. I grabbed his wrist and elbowed him in the face. He stepped back and with the pipe in my hand I hit the back of his knees, causing him to fall to the ground. I then kicked him onto his back and put the pipe to his throat.

"Where is the honor in attacking an opponent with his back turned?!" I yelled. I don't remember ever being so angry. "Tell me!"

"I-I-" started Dylan.

"In most cultures, you'd be put to death for such a thing." I said. "But in one, you would be forced to kill yourself."

I would've pressed the pipe harder into his throat if it wasn't for Percy. After looking into his face I calmed down. I threw the pipe to the ground and walked out of the alley. I gave one last angry look at Dylan. He looked dazed, but not hurt.

When we arrived at the apartment, I heard Sally crying. Percy and I gave each other worried looks. Percy opened the door and Sally's crying became louder. We walked to the living room and saw that Sally was on the couch crying. Paul was holding her tenderly. Standing on the other side of the coffee table was a priest, and next to him was a woman in a business suit carrying a suitcase.

"Mom, what's going on?" asked Percy.

"Percy, Tsuna…" Paul said, but his voice wavered.

"You must be Tsunayoshi." said the woman. "My name is Dianna Crossman. I am the head of the Marine Science division at the university. And this is Father Enrico Maxwell."

"Hello, my child." said the priest.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Tsunayoshi, we have terrible news." said Crossman. "A few days ago, we lost contact with the ship your mother Donna was on."

"Wha-what?" I said. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"There was a storm." Crossman said. "Far up north, which was where we last heard the ship was located. We found the ship, but it was underwater. There were no survivors."

"No…no…please…" I started to say. My heart snapped into pieces. My mother, the woman who gave me life, the woman who protected, raised and loved me, is dead. Tears started flowing down my face like waterfalls.

"Tsuna," said Father Maxwell, "We all have our time in this world. God made us this way."

"STUFF YOUR GOD SOMEWHERE ELSE!" I yelled and the entire apartment shook violently. Car alarms started blaring and plates fell to the floor. Percy tried to comfort me, but I pushed him to the away. Before anyone could so anything, I ran.

I didn't even think about where I was running to. My mind was distant. I was letting my body act on its own. In what felt like forever, and at the same time too quickly, I arrived at the door of my apartment. With my hand shaking, I unlocked the door and entered what was supposed to be my new home with my mom. I slowly walked to the living room and grabbed a picture.

This picture was of one of my happiest memories. It was the first time I ever swam in the ocean. I was wearing a pair of green swimming trunks and yellow water wings. Mom was wearing a one piece red suit with a black cloth tied around her waist. I was splashing the water while Mom was trying to make sure I was safe.

The picture brought tears to my eyes again. I fell to the floor and curled up into a ball. I cried and cried for hours. After a while I heard the front door open but I didn't even look up. It could have been a psycho thief that was going to kill me, but I didn't care. I heard shuffling and felt an arm around my shoulders. I lifted my head and saw that it was Percy.

"Per-*sniff*-cy." I said. "So-sorry. I feel like such a-"

"It's okay." Percy said as he gripped my shoulder tighter. "You shouldn't hold stuff like this in. Let it out."

I couldn't control it. I just let it all out. And Percy just let held me tight while I cried over my dead mother.

**I kind of want to think that Mr. Umo, the janitor sounds either like George Takei or Leonard Nimoy. You can choose who you hear.**

**This bastard of a kid is based off an ass I regret knowing in high school. He was a big fat ass who never missed a chance to hurt me in some way, and he always said that he was better than me at everything. Funny thing though, he was as Ginger as it gets, but he would deny it with his very soul. It was fun to call him a ginger because he went from pale white to beet red in frustration.**

** Please review!**


	3. Chapter III Tsuna

** Please enjoy and review.**

**Chapter III Tsuna**

I became withdrawn when Percy brought me back to his apartment. I cried out all my tears at my apartment. When we got back Sally pulled me into a tight hug. It felt so motherly and loving that more tears spilled out of my eyes. After her hug I walked back into Percy's room and sat on my bed. Curling up into a ball, I fell asleep.

The funeral was on Wednesday. I couldn't bring myself to go. I couldn't accept the fact that my mother was…was…dead. Everybody understood, so Sally told Percy to stay with me. We sat on the couch and tried to watch TV. Well Percy was trying to watch TV; I was just staring into blank space. Percy tried everything he could think of to make me smile. He tried making jokes to just talking to me. They somewhat worked, but not by much. After Sally and Paul came home I went to my room. An hour later there was a knock on the door.

"Tsuna, there's a lawyer here to talk to you." said Percy as he came in. I nodded slowly and stood up. Before we walked into the living room there were people arguing.

"Mrs. Blofis you are not his legal guardian." said a grey haired man. "I cannot allow him to stay with you."

"I don't care." Sally said. Paul was looking through a pile of papers while Sally and the lawyer talked. "He is going to stay here. His mother just passed away and he shouldn't deal with anything like being taken away from those who want him to stay. The last thing he needs is to be sent away."

"I can't allow this." said the lawyer. "You didn't sign any paperwork to become his guardian. He will be coming with me and be put into the foster care system."

"Give me the papers then." said Sally. "He's staying here. Donna told me that he doesn't have any living relatives, so he needs to be with someone who will treat him right and like a son."

"Which is why I'm taking him." The lawyer said. "He's not staying here."

"Yes he is!" screamed Sally.

"No he isn't!" yelled the lawyer.

"Why don't you ask Tsuna what he wants?" asked Percy. The three adults looked over at the two of us.

"Ah, Mr. Noble," said the lawyer. "My name is Carver Boothe. I am a lawyer and a representative of foster services. I'm here to put you in foster care."

"No you're not." Sally said in a threatening tone. "Tsuna, please tell us what you want."

I didn't say anything. I just looked at Sally then at Mr. Boothe. Percy nudged me to get an answer at me. I looked at him and realized I didn't want to be alone. I wanted… no, needed a family.

"I- I want to stay here..." I said. Mr. Boothe looked at me like he didn't believe but he just sighed and looked away.

"If that is what you want Mr. Noble." said Mr. Boothe. "I'll draw up the paperwork as soon as I can for you two to sign Mr. and Mrs. Blofis. Have a nice day Mr. Noble."

When Mr. Boothe left Sally hugged me tight again. Percy and I went back into our room and lied in our beds. When it got close to dinner Paul came and told us we were going out to eat. We got dressed and went to an Italian restaurant. I had a Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo, Percy ordered a simple spaghetti and Sally and Paul shared a Seafood Ravioli Mario. The servings were so huge for their cheap prices that we had a lot to take home.

Being with Percy, Sally and Paul made me feel better. The pain was numbed, but still there. They were great. They attempted to make me feel more like I belonged. For example, we had a Doctor Who marathon after the Italian dinner. Percy set up the Netflix while Paul went to get snacks. I didn't even know about it until Percy blindly led me into the living room. Sally had made popcorn and Paul bought ice cream and other candies. All of this made me smile.

We started with the first episode of the Eccelton Era. Sally and Paul just watched the show while Percy constantly asked questions. I answered his questions with a laugh each time. By the time we got to the Dalek episode I had to tell Percy that it was extremely difficult to explain fifty years' worth of the greatest TV show in the world. It was midnight when Sally told to go to bed.

The news of my mother's death spread quickly around the school. Many of the students came up to me and told me how sorry they were for me. Most girls hugged me and told me to talk to them anytime I needed. While many of the students were kind and supportive, Dylan just gave me everything he had in his verbal arsenal.

"Look who it is!" exclaimed Dylan. "Tsuna the Chinky Tuna!"

"Ignore him Tsuna." I muttered to myself. "Ignore him, ignore him, ignore him."

"What's wrong chink?" smirked Dylan as he cornered me when no teachers were around. "Mommy gone? Is Mommy dead? I thought Marine biologists could swim, or at least know when to stay out of a storm."

"Sh-shut up Dylan." I said. I could barely get that simple sentence out. I was trying to hold back my tears. I wanted to fight him, but I don't want to cause any trouble for Sally and Paul. I just squeezed my fist so tight that my nails dug into my palm, causing it to bleed.

"Come on you Tab!" yelled Dylan. He kept spouting off racial slurs. "Fight me. Punch me first so I can kick your ass and not get expelled."

"Go screw yourself Dylan." I said. "You're pathetic, fat, ugly ging. If your only enjoyment in your life is terrorizing someone who just lost their mother, I can't wait to see where you'll be burning for all eternity."

Dylan just looked at me as if he was trying to figure out what I said. He then punched me in the stomach and threw me against the lockers. He kept punching me and punching me.

"I'm not a ginger you fucking chink." yelled Dylan as he punched me. "Japanese bastard! And I'm not going to Hell. That's reserved for people like you."

"Dylan, leave him alone." said one of Dylan's goons. "His mother just died."

"No, continue Dylan-san." said on of Dylan's new gang members. There were about ten new kids that looked like little Mr. Umos. Dylan introduced them as Mr. Umo's kids. "He deserves it."

These new guys laughed as Dylan pulled back his arm again and punched me. Before his tubby fist hit me another hand grabbed his wrist. I slid to the floor. I looked over and saw Percy holding Dylan's wrist and looked really pissed off.

"Leave him alone!" Percy yelled. He pushed Dylan away and helped me off the floor. "Are you okay Tsuna?"

"Yea." I said. "But let's go get an ice pack…or three."

"Okay." Percy said as he put his arm over my shoulder. We started to walk towards the nurse's office when Dylan came up to us.

"I'm not done with him!" yelled Dylan.

"There's never a teacher around when you actually want one." I said. "Well I'm done with you!"

Dylan chugged along and grabbed my shoulder and pulled me away from Percy. I fell to the ground and Dylan tried to kick me. Percy stopped him by punching him in the face. While I stood up Percy threw another punch but stopped when a teacher yelled.

"Mr. Jackson!" yelled Dr. Boring. He ran over to Dylan and helped him up. "Why are you attacking this poor boy?!"

"I wasn't attacking him, he was attacking Tsuna!" said Percy.

"No I wasn't!" cried Dylan. "I was the one pulling him off of Tsuna."

"That's a lie and you know it!" I yelled. "He attacked me! He is the biggest racist in this school!"

"I don't believe you." said Dr. Boring. "Dylan is one of my best students and one of the nicest people I ever had the fortune to meet. He would never attack another student."

"Then we're talking about two different Dylans, because that fat ginger is the reason why I have these!" I yelled as I lifted my shirt. The bruises were already forming.

"I didn't do that sir, Percy did." said Dylan. He was actually persuading the English teacher.

It took a bit of effort but I got Dr. Boring to let us off with a warning. At least Dylan got one too, so I guess that was sort of a win. Percy and I went to the nurse's office and I got an ice pack. Then we went to our English class with Dr. Boring. As we entered the class room Dr. Boring asked Percy if he could have a word with him. I went to sit down and I could see Percy talking to Dr. Boring. Percy looked really upset. They both entered and I could tell that Percy was really hurt.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yea, I'm fine." Percy said.

"What did he say to you?" I asked.

"Nothing." said Percy.

"Tell me Perce." I said as I out my hand on his shoulder.

"Dr. Boring, well he said that he's not buying my Dyslexia and ADHD 'act' anymore." said Percy. "I tried telling him that it's not an act, but he said that if I don't stop playing around and concentrate he's going to fail me."

"That jerk!" I said. "He has no right-"

"Tsuna its fine." Percy said. "I'm used to it."

"Good morning everyone." Dr. Boring said before I could continue with Percy. "I hope you have all done your homework. Now we shall be beginning a new unit: Sonnets. Now open to page fifty-three of your poetry textbooks and we'll dive straight in with the Bard himself"

"Sir." I asked in my best English accent1. He had something coming to him because of what he said to Percy and for not believing that Dylan was the one who attacked me.

"Yes Mr. Noble?" asked Dr. Boring.

"I've been meaning to ask," I said, "Are you English sir?"

"No, I'm Scottish." said Dr. Boring.

"So you ain't English then."

"No, I'm British."

"So you ain't English then?"

"No I'm not, but as you can see, I do speak English"

"But I can't understand what you're saying sir."

"What are you doing Tsuna?!" asked Percy in a hushed whisper.

"Well, clearly you can."

"Sorry, are you talking Scottish now?"

"No, I'm talking English."

"Right. Don't sound like it."

"Okay, whatever you want. Now, let's get on with Shakespeare!"

"I don't think you're qualified to teach us English."

"I am perfectly qualified to teach English."

"I don't think you are though."

"You don't have to be English to teach it."

"Right. Are we taking English, or Scottish?"

"Tsunayoshi, that is enough!"

I sighed and leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. I wasn't getting to him enough. Dr. Boring looked at me with complete annoyance. He then picked up his book and went on with his lecture.

"So, Shakespeare's sonnets." continued Dr. Boring.

"Sir?" I went on.

"A sonnet is a poem-"

"Sir?"

"Written in fourteen lines-"

"Sir?"

"The last two of which-"

"Sir?"

"Must form a rhyming couplet."

"Sir?"

"Yes, Tsuna!"

"Can I ax you a question?"

"Not just now."

"Can I ax you a question though?"

"Just wait."

"But can I just ax you a question? I only want to ax you a question. Can't I ax you a question? I'm just axing you a question. Can I ax you a question?"

"What is it?"

"Have you been dating the lunch lady?"

"What?!"

"The lunch lady. The one with long grey hair, skin hanging off her arms and smells like she hasn't taken a shower in a few years."

"No I have not you, you-"

"Don't you have an answer sir?"

"Okay, can we please go back to Shakespeare?!" I leaned back into my chair again. "Thank you. So-"

"D'you fancy the lunch lady sir?"

"Right." He slammed his book onto his desk. He became all huffy puffy. "You are the most insolent child I ever had the misfortune to teach!"

"Thank you."

"You're pointless, repetitious, and extremely dull."

"Bit like Shakespeare."

"You are not even worthy to mention his name." He was shouting. "William Shakes- William Shakespeare was a genius! You, little brat, are definitely not! Now just sit there, keep your mouth shut, or I will fail you and this whole module right now!"

"Amest I bovvered?"

"What?"

"Amest I bovvered, Forsooth?"

"Tsuna-"

"Looketh at my face. Looketh at my face. Ist this a bovveréd face thou seest before thee?"

"Right. I'm calling your parents."

"Are you disrespecting the house of Noble?! Art thou calling my mother a pox-ridden wench?! Art thou calling my father a goodly rotten apple?!"

"Tsuna-" Dr. Boring was becoming exasperated.

"But he ain't even a goodly rotten apple."

"Listen to me-"

"But he ain't a goodly rotten apple, though."

"Tsuna!"

"Faceth. Bothered. Lookat it. My liege. My liege. My liege. My liege. Bothered. Faceth. Bothered. You take the high road and I'll take the low road." (That last part I did in Scottish.)

"Tsuna. Tsuna! Stop. That's enough. Stop! Shush. Enough. No more. That's it." He tried to stop me but I was on a roll. I kicked it up a notch.

"I ain't even bothered! I ain't even bothered! Look! Face. Bothered. Bethered. Face. Bothered. I ain't even bothered. My liege, I be not bothered. Forsooth, I be not bothered. Face. Bothered. I ain't even bothered. Face bothered. Shakespeare. Sonnets. I ain't even bothered.

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun.

Coral is far more red than her lips' red.

If snow be white, why then her breasts are done.

If hair be wires, black wires grow on her head.

I have seen roses damasked, red, and white,

But no such roses see I in her cheeks.

And in some perfume is there more delight,

Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know,

That music hath a far more pleasing sound.

I grant I never saw a goddess go,

My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.

And yet by heaven I think my love as rare,

As any she belied with false compare.

BITE ME YOU FAKE SCOTTISH BASTARD!"

The entire class was silent. I was being stared at by each and every student. Dr. Boring stood at the front of the class with his mouth open wide. Percy had a shocked look on his face. I looked back at Dr. Boring and saw that he was fuming. His face was going from beet red into a plum purple. He came at me and grabbed me by the ear.

"OW!" I yelled. "Let go of me!"

"You do not talk to a teacher that way Mr. Noble!" said Dr. Boring. "I will allow a single idiotic child talk to me with such utter disrespect! I'll have you expelled for this!"

"Stop!" said Percy as I was nearly dragged out of the room.

"Is there anything you wish to add Mr. Jackson?" asked Dr. Boring.

"Yea…how about," started Percy, "Kiss my ass?"

That simple sentence caused both Percy and I to be sent to the principal's office. While Dr. Boring was yelling at Principal Sullivan me and Percy sat on the bench. We were told to wait for until Principal Sullivan was ready to hear our side of the story.

"Thanks Tsuna." said Percy.

"For what?" I asked.

"You only did that because of what Dr. Boring said to me in the hallway." Percy explained. "Though I don't think it will be worth the trouble we're going to get."

"Percy, he said that you're faking your ADHD and Dyslexia." I said. "He was going to fail you for it. He shouldn't have treated you like that, he's a teacher."

"And there wasn't any resentment for him when he didn't believe us about Dylan?" asked Percy.

"That was factor in my performance." I admitted.

"What was that by the way?" asked Percy.

"That was Shakespeare's Sonnet 130, and my personal favorite." I explained.

"How did you memorize it with your Dyslexia?" Percy wondered.

"When my mother and I lived in Seattle, we performed in theatre." I said. "She always preferred to do Shakespearean works and that passed to me. We even performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Anyway, I listened to others perform that piece and struggled through reading it. I wanted to make my mother proud and when we finally performed our pieces, I was like ten or so, I was the last on stage. I was nervous, but mom just smiled from the front row. So I performed it without a hitch."

"Wish I could do that." Percy said.

"I could help you if you wanted." I said. "It's hard, but it proves you can fight against Dyslexia."

"Tsuna, Percy." The secretary said. "Principal Sullivan wants to speak to you two now."

We thanked the secretary and walked into Principal Sullivan's office. It was decorated with clippings of the school's newspaper and several articles of another school newspaper. These articles had a picture of a crow holding a torch on them. Dr. Boring was standing up and leaning on the principal's desk. Principal Sullivan looked irritated after listening to Dr. Boring, but she brightened up when she saw the two of us.

"Ah, Tsuna, Percy," said Principal Sullivan. "Please have a seat."

Principal Sullivan was really young for a principal. She was in her late twenties. She has shoulder length blonde hair that was styled a bit different each day. One day it would be straight and the next day it would curly. She wears ornate blouses, pencil skirts, and a variety of dressier jackets. We took our seats and Principal Sullivan stared at us.

"So would you two like to explain what happened?" she asked.

So we explained what happened. From Dylan constantly harassing me to the way Dr. Boring treated Percy. The so called doctor denied everything that involved him and demanded that Percy and I be expelled, but Principal Sullivan ignored him and calmly listened to us. When we finished our explanation Principal Sullivan sat back in her chair and thought quietly. A minute or so later she spoke up.

"Well I don't see what the problem is." said Principal Sullivan.

"Don't see the-" started Dr. Boring. "That boy over was the most disrespectful brat I ever had in my classroom."

"And from what I heard you deserved it." Principal Sullivan said. "*Sigh* But I can't let you two go without some sort of punishment. How about detention for two days?"

"That's it?" Dr. Boring, Percy, and I asked at the same time.

"It seems fair, and taking to light Tsuna's recent tragedy it's all I want to give them." said Principal Sullivan.

"But-!" started Dr. Boring.

"You're lucky I don't suspend you without pay Nigel." said Principal Sullivan. "After first not believe or stopping Tsuna's harasser, and then after what you told Percy… you deserve a lot worse."

"Dylan was not harassing Tsuna." said Dr. Boring.

"What proof do you have that he wasn't?" asked Principal Sullivan.

"His word." Dr. Boring said.

"And I have Percy's and Tsuna's word. Now get out of my office Nigel." demanded Principal Sullivan. Dr. Boring grumbled as he left. "You two can go to your classes now."

"Um, Principal Sullivan?" asked Percy.

"Yes Percy?" wondered Principal Sullivan.

"Are we still allowed to go to the dance?" Percy asked. "I kinda promised my girlfriend I would take her…"

"You can still go to the dance." Principal Sullivan said. "I want you to have a good time, but report to detention on time after school today? I'll know if you won't because I have warden duty this week. Oh, and I'll notify your parents."

"Thank you ma'am!" said Percy. He grabbed the crook of my arm and pulled me out of the room.

School ended very slowly today. And it was really weird. Percy and I kept finding cobwebs all over us. When the last bell rang we went to the detention room. Apparently it was in the school newspaper office. Principal Sullivan was already there. She looked much more relaxed, like she was in her element.

They say detention was really boring, but I actually had a lot of fun. Percy and I were taught on how to make a newspaper by Principal Sullivan. She wasn't strict or mean or anything. She even brought us some snacks. As we were working on the newspaper she told us about her life a little bit. It turns out that she once aspired to be a world renowned journalist, but due to certain events in her life she was unable to reach her goal. And through the same events she was led to being a principal. She sent us home two hours later. As we were leaving the school Mr. Umo was mopping near the exit. He was staring us down and looked really anxious, and despite being really creped out we walked past him and went home.

Sally was really upset with us when we got home and so was Paul. They said that they were really disappointed in us for what we did. Before they could say anything else I told them about Dylan and his racist remarks, then of how Dr. Boring was talking to Percy. They understood and in the end Percy and I weren't punished.

Thursday went a lot better than the previous day. Dr. Boring didn't say anything to me or Percy. Dylan avoided me like I had the plague. His new goons however, always appeared when I least expected them to. One moment there would be no one behind me and the next there would be about five of Mr. Umo's kids who were way too close to my personal bubble. Detention was even better today. Principal Sullivan had us watch the first Superman movie that featured Christopher Reeve, but to make it seem like we were being punished she made us do a worksheet she made herself about the film.

Friday was the day of the dance. Again there were no problems in school that day. I wasn't excited about the dance, but I did promise Percy I would go. We both finished getting ready at the same time. Since it was a casual dance we just dressed for comfort. I wore a simple black t-shirt with dark blue jeans. Percy was wearing a light blue t-shirt with dark jeans. About an hour before the dance there was a knock on the door. Percy went to open it and there was Annabeth.

"Hey Seaweed Brain." said Annabeth after they kissed each other. She was wearing a grey blouse that brought out her eyes and jean shorts. Her hair, instead of being up in a ponytail like it usually is, was let down. "Hi Tsuna."

"Hey Annabeth." I said. "How are you?"

"I'm good." She said. She walked over to me and gave me a hug. "I'm so sorry Tsuna."

"Thank you." I said after I wrapped my arms around her. "Percy told you, didn't he?"

"Yes he did." said Annabeth. "You two look handsome tonight."

"Thanks." Percy and I said at the same time.

"Annabeth!" yelled Sally as came into the living room. They hugged each other and talked about stuff that I really didn't want to know about and neither did Percy. When it got closer to the dance we decided to leave.

As soon as we were outside the apartment complex I saw that it was really foggy out. The fog was so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. It took us a little while get to the school but we got there safe and sound. We headed to the gym were the dance was being held and we heard the music from outside. As we entered we were bombarded with techno music, strobe lights, and many, many balloons. The entire gym was decked out with streamers. There were speakers in the four corners of the basketball court. The DJ was under the one of the hoops, playing artists such as Justin Beiber, One Direction, and Lincoln Park. There were times when I swore I heard some crappy Jingle Bells musac. People were dancing and banging their heads and fists.

"Come on you two." said Annabeth. She dragged us to the dance floor. "Let's dance."

We danced together for a couple of hours. It was really fun and lifted my spirits. When a slow song came up I backed up and had Percy and Annabeth have their moment. During the middle the first slow dance Percy and Annabeth separated and Annabeth pulled me into a slow dance. It was a bit awkward, dancing with Annabeth. I stumbled a lot and was blushing ferociously.

"You're doing fine Tsuna." Annabeth said with a smile. I looked away, still blushing and nervously scratched my head.

After the song I went to get something to drink. The food layout was amazing. There were cookie platters, cheese and crackers, cupcakes and a veggie platter. The drinks consisted of soda, iced tea, pink lemonade, and a blend of Sprite and rainbow sherbet. As I got food for myself and drinks for the three of us I, unknowingly, was surrounded by Mr. Umo's kids. I turned around and nearly bumped into Dylan.

"I thought you weren't allowed to come to the dance." I said as I took my cup out of my mouth and laid Percy's and Annabeth's drinks on the table.

"I can go where ever I want to chink." said Dylan.

"Okay, enough with the chink stuff okay." I said getting irritated. "You're being incredibly racist."

"It's not being racist if I have Asian friends." Dylan said proudly.

"Good for you then." I said sarcastically. "Now can I go enjoy the dance?"

"No." said Dylan as he pushed me. I was getting really pissed off again. "God you're such a freak, with that eye changing thing."

"Thanks Dylan." I said while rolling my eyes. I started to walk away when Mr. Umo's kids blocked my way and Dylan grabbed my wrist.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Dylan with a cruel smile.

"To hang out with my friends and enjoy this dance that you are ruining." I said angrily. "Now let go!"

Dylan just smirked and pulled me away from the dance floor. Mr. Umo's kids followed and snickered. They started to talk to themselves in Japanese and I only caught a bit of it.

"Anata wa sore ga kareda to omou?" asked one.2

"Wakaranai. Watashitachiha, otōsan no iu koto o kakunin suru hitsuyō ga arimasu." said another.3

"Watashitachi no kyōdai wa migi, hoka no kōho o ete iru? Jackson no kodomo?" another one said.4

"Leave Percy alone!" I yelled at them. I pulled my wrist out of Dylan's hand and pushed my way past Mr. Umo's kids who stared at me.

"That's right, run back to your boyfriend Jackson and his little slut." said Dylan. Mr. Umo's kids laughed. I stopped walking.

"What did you say?" I asked with my back to them. I clenched my fist tightly.

"You know, I think I'll steal that pretty blonde away from that freak Jackson." Dylan said. "She'll be good for my _entertainment_ if you catch my dri-"

I didn't let him finish his disrespectful sentence. I punched him squarely in the jaw and knocked him to the ground. He spat out a couple of teeth. He stood up and I grabbed him by his shirt.

"Don't you EVER talk about Annabeth or Percy in such a way EVER again!" I screamed. Dylan actually looked afraid. "How dare you talk about my friends like that?! Do you think you are better than me? Do you?!"

Dylan didn't answer. I pulled back my fist and punched Dylan again. Before my fist got close to Dylan's fat, freckled face my hand was caught by an old wrinkled hand. I looked at who grabbed me and saw that it was Mr. Umo.

"We can't have any that here boy." said Mr. Umo. He looked like he was really scared. He glanced at his kids and spoke to them. "Kare wa koko kara deru. Watashitachiha, anzendearu koto no ryōhō no otokonoko o toru yo."5

Mr. Umo's kids nodded and grabbed me. I struggled but I couldn't get them to let go. I tried calling for help but one of them covered my mouth. They dragged me outside into the cold, foggy night. They led me a good distance away from the school where I finally broke free of their grip. I punched one and pushed the others away from me.

They all started laughing. I looked at them strangely. Their bodies started to convulse and contort as they laughed. They grew slightly larger and their muscles bulged. Their shirts ripped, revealing two extra pair of arms. On their back was a big bulbous ball that has two little spikey things on them. Red eyes opened on their foreheads, adding six eyes to their head. Their mouths changed as well. Pincers grew into existence and their teeth grew pointed like needles.

"What the hell?!" I said. I backed up slowly.

"Wrong religion." said one of the spider monsters.

I then turned around and ran as fast as I could from them. I could hear them skittering after me. It was hard to see through the fog and it seemed to be getting thicker. There were times when I almost ran into a tree or a wall.

"Tsunayoshi!" they all cried out. "We're coming for you!"

"_What are those things?!_" I asked myself.

One of the spiders jumped and tackled me to the ground. We rolled around and I was able to kick it off of me. I got up and ran again. As I ran I heard grunts and Percy yelling for Annabeth. I could make out their outlines in the fog and could see that they were fighting creatures. I ran closer and was about to call out when Percy swung a sword at me. A sword! Where did he get a sword?

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" I yelled as I ducked just in time. "It's me Percy! Not one of those spiders! So watch where you swing that sword!"

"You can see my sword?" Percy asked. "Duck!"

I kneeled down and he swung his sword. There was a scream and a pile of dust fell on me. I stood up and was about to day something when Percy ran over to Annabeth. She was frozen with fear and had a small bronze knife in her hand. Percy checked to see if she was okay.

"How is she?" I asked.

"She's okay." Percy said. "She just has a terrible fear of spiders."

"After seeing these things I can understand." I said. "Where did you get that sword and know how to use it?"

"It's uh, hard to explain." He said.

"Percy, there are spider-men, who just happen to be Mr. Umo's kids, attacking us." I said. "And you turned one into dust when you hit it with your sword. I want an explanation."

"It's kind of a long story Tsuna." said Percy. "But you know of the Greek gods? Well long story short, they still exist and so do monsters. But I haven't fought against these monsters before."

"You fought against monsters?!" I yelled.

"We'll talk later Tsuna." Percy said

"There you are!" said the other spider creatures. We were surrounded. "It's time for the two of you to come with us."

"That's not going to happen." I said. "You have a spare sword Percy?"

"Just stay behind me Tsuna." said Percy with his sword.

"Forget that." I said. "I'm not letting you fight by yourself."

Percy stared at me like I was crazy and then smiled. He looked around and saw the terrible abstract art sculpture that was made with metal bars. He sliced a bar off with his sword and gave me the make shift weapon. It was kinda heavy but it would do the job.

"Thanks." I said brandishing the makeshift weapon.

"Get ready." said Percy.

"This is so kawaī6!" said one of the spiders. "They think they can fight us."

"But Jackson did destroy our brother." said another.

"Dad can just make us another one." Another said.

Percy and I attacked while the spiders were bickering amongst themselves. Percy was able to make them turn to dust with a few swipes of his glowing blade. All I could do was beat them away with my metal stick. I felt useless, but at least I was able to keep them away from Annabeth. She wasn't moving out of fear. The spider kids spat webs at us but we were able to maneuver out of the way. We were able to decrease their numbers from ten to three.

"These things are tough!" I said. I could really go for a sword like Percy's right now.

"Tsuna get Annabeth out of here!" yelled Percy. He was currently blocking the three remaining spiders. "She's in no condition to be here and fight."

"But Percy-!" I started.

"Go!" he screamed. I nodded and picked Annabeth up by the arm and ran. I hated running from a fight. It felt cowardly and un-honorable.

I dragged Annabeth through the fog. I tried to find the gate but the fog was too thick. With the spider kids away from us Annabeth was starting to become her usual self. We stopped running and she was holding her knife in a very threating manner.

"Where's Percy?!" she asked with her knife pointed at me.

"Okay, is it some sort of fetish you and Percy have for point sharp objects at other people?" I asked with my hands up in a defensive manner. Annabeth's glare that she gave me nearly scared me more than the spider kids. "He told me to take you and run. You weren't being real useful back there."

"That idiotic-!" said Annabeth. "We're going back."

"I told him I would get you to safety." I argued. "I'm not letting you go back there so you can be petrified with fear and have the two of you lose your lives…I'm going with you. Come on!"

We ran back to where we last saw Percy. We couldn't find him. The only thing that was in the area was three more piles of dust and Percy's sword. I picked up his sword, where I felt something familiar and powerful flowing from it and into me like some sort of supernatural, ancient energy. I actually got a closer look at the blade. It was a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edge blade, a leather-wrapped grip and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs.

"MMM!" cried a mumbled voice. Annabeth and I looked over to where the voice was and saw that Percy was stuck to one of the trees in the school's courtyard. We ran to him and saw that he was covered in spider webs. His mouth was bound. Annabeth and I tried to get the webbing off of him when a white glob went passed me and pinned Annabeth to the ground.

"Annabeth!" I yelled. I ran over to her when there was a loud skittering above me.

"Hello boy." said Mr. Umo. I looked up and saw that he was just as monstrous as his kids.

He looked a bit different though. Instead of extra human-like arms he had four spider legs protruding from his upper back. They were long, black and hairy which allowed him to tower over me. On his lower back was a large black spider's abdomens that had a red hourglass on it and around the hourglass like tattoos were symbols for poison. His face was even more disgusting now. He had four pincers around his mouth, which had needle-like teeth that were dripping poison. His foreheads had several eyes of different sizes and colors, but most were red.

"What are you things?!" I yelled. I was getting sick and tired of what was going on.

"We are spider demons." said Mr. Umo. "And I am the father of them all. I am Tsuchigumo, and because of you friend, I am the last of kind."

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I was sent here for a mission." said Mr. Umo. He skittered around as he talked. "A mission to find the Umi no Musuko."

"The…Son of …the Sea?" I asked.

"Yes." He hissed out. "At first I was going to take Jackson, but then you came along and made things difficult."

"How did I do that?" I wondered.

"You both unnaturally reek like the ocean." explained Mr. Umo. "So I have to take both of you now."

"I'm not going anywhere," I said, "And neither is Percy!"

"You have no choice, even if I have to paralyze you!" said Mr. Umo.

He opened his mouth and shot out webbing and poison. They mixed as they left his mouth and turned into putrid, purple webs. I tried to move but I realized that my feet were stuck in some stray webbing. I tried struggling but the webbing wouldn't come off. The purple webbing came closer so I closed my eyes and raised my arms, hoping that it would do something. As I raised my arm I felt my ring become really warm. I never felt anything sticky hit me so I opened my eyes. My ring was emanating a brilliant blue light that surrounded me in a sphere. The poisonous webs were hitting the sphere and were being disintegrated.

"You?! Cursed dragon!" cried out Mr. Umo. "I should have known!"

The shield dropped and Mr. Umo dove at me, fangs bared and dripping with poison. On instinct I swung Percy's sword. Mr. Umo hissed and was clutching his face. When he removed his hand he was missing a chunk of his head. He wasn't turning into dust like his kids were.

"Damn Greeks and your Celestial Bronze!" cried Mr. Umo. He looked right at me and saw that I was glaring at him. "I haven't seen that look in centuries. You are his son!"

"Shut up!" I yelled. I ran with the sword in hand and sliced the large spider legs. As each leg was cut, Mr. Umo staggered around. With his last leg cut Mr. Umo fell to the ground.

He got back to his feet and swiped at me with his clawed hands. I parried his attacks away, making sparks against the sword. I used a couple of skills I learned in Kendo and Fencing and was able to cut Mr. Umo. I was lucky not to be hit by his claws or bit by his venomous fangs. It seemed that my reflexes were on overdrive. I could see Mr. Umo's muscles tense and I knew when he was going to attack.

I ran to attack and he grabbed the sword. I tried to rip it out of his grip but he held tight. When I finally got the sword out (by slicing his fingers in the process) he swung what remains of his spider legs into me with all of his strength and slammed me into a tree. My chest felt like it was on fire but I fought through the pain.

"You're coming with me." said Mr. Umo. He grabbed my arm and started to drag me away.

"Tsuna!" yelled Annabeth. With her free arm she threw her bronze knife which imbedded itself in Mr. Umo's shoulder.

"Argh!" cried Mr. Umo in pain. He let go of me and reached for the knife. Pulling it out and dropping it next to me he walked to Annabeth. "I'm going to eat you for that Blondie!"

Annabeth froze with fear again. As Mr. Umo walked to my friend I stood up. The pain was excruciating but I had to save Annabeth. I picked up Annabeth's knife and prayed to God that it would slow Mr. Umo down. I threw the knife and it flew right into the back of Mr. Umo's left knee. He fell to the ground and I ran over to him, raising the sword over my head for a downward strike. But as I was about to kill Mr. Umo I felt that this wasn't right. It didn't feel like there wasn't any honor in defeating someone with their back turned. I lowered the sword and backed off.

"You're just like your father." chuckled Mr. Umo as he pulled the knife out of his knee. "He had a strong value of honor as well; never did he attack an opponent while their back was turned."

He then quickly turned around and pounced. I just had enough time to react. I swung Percy's sword and Mr. Umo's head was removed. As soon as his head was detached his body turned to dust. I was breathing really heavy and my head was pounding.

"Tsuna!" yelled Percy. I looked over and saw that his clothes were covered in dust. The webs must have been turned to dust after Mr. Umo died.

"Percy?" I said. My vision became fuzzy and I felt really dizzy. My heart was beating really fast. I dropped Percy's sword and I collapsed.

"Tsuna?!" yelled Percy. "Tsuna!"

**This part here is based off of the 2007 Children in Need comedic special featuring David Tennant and Catherine Tate in a skit from the Catherine Tate Show. I find it so funny and it actually worked with what I had planned in this part of the chapter. If you want to watch it, you can find it on Youtube at watch?v=Fzj6AFqIoio&list=FLUnknuGnn5XGSHgNTJSyIwA&index=46**

"**You think it's him?" I'm going to write the English translations here for all of the foreign language used in this story. If you have any ideas of how I can show how Tsuna understands Japanese in the story itself (there is a story based reason going to be discussed later) please give me some ideas. **

"**Not sure. We need to see what Dad says."**

"**Our brothers are getting the other candidate right? The Jackson kid?"**

"**Get him out of here. We'll take both boys to be safe."**

"**This is so cute!"**


	4. Chapter IV Tsuna

**Please enjoy and review.**

* * *

**Chapter IV Tsuna**

I was dreaming again. I had no idea where I was. The scene kept changing. One minute I was in the sky during the day and then at night, the next I was on the ocean floor. Then I was standing in the middle of a clearing overlooking the ocean. I looked around and found nothing. Then I heard a rattle and a long hiss. The ground shook and out of the ground came a giant black snake. It towered over me like a mountain. I saw that it looked hurt and wounded, blood dripping from its wounds.

The giant snake started to finish getting out of the hole when seven fireballs flew out of the sky and bombarded it. The snake shrieked in pain and fell to the ground. As it tried to get away a beam of pure pale light shot out of the heavens and struck the snake. Then two beings floated down, one looking like a small sun and another covered in moonlight. I couldn't make out any features on them as they were covered in their blinding light, but I could feel something regal about the two of them. The snake lifted itself up again and a large wave blasted out of the ocean.

As the snake screamed from the attack a man rose from the ocean wearing samurai armor. In his hand was a sword that looked familiar, but I knew I never saw it before. The three beings surrounded the snake on three sides and the snake hissed in anger. The sun-like being threw seven small orbs that looked like small suns that circled around the snake. The being shrouded in moonlight revealed a small silver disc. This disc shut out a pale light that encircled the seven suns. Then the samurai that came from the ocean raised his sword and swung it in a circle over his head. A beam of mystic energy shot out of his blade and hit the first miniature sun that was closest to him. The energy flowed throw the first sun and connected with the other six.

The circle fell to the ground and created something that resembled a pentagram. The snake hissed and thrashed about as it sunk into the ground. The three beings came close to each other and bowed their heads. The beings made of suns and moonlight ascended into the sky. The samurai from the ocean sheathed his sword and looked towards the ocean. I wanted to ask him something, but as I walked to him the entire dream shifted and disappeared, like sand being blow in the winds.

I opened my eyes after the dream ended. Sitting up I clutched my chest. It was extremely painful and each breath I took added to that pain like a sharp stab.

"Take it easy Tsuna." said a voice to my side. A hand was put on my shoulder and I saw that it was Annabeth. "You have several cracked ribs."

I glanced around the room I was in. There were several cots with thin white sheets. Sheets hug from strings as privacy protectors. I could hear other people in the building, some moaning and groaning, other rushing around. Annabeth was now sitting on the cot I was sleeping in. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she was wearing an orange t-shirt that said Camp Half-Blood.

"Good to know." I grunted out. I swung my legs over the side of the cot and stood up. As I did, however, my legs shook violently and I nearly collapsed on the floor. Annabeth caught me and put me back on the cot.

"You've been in bed for three days." said Annabeth. "You're bound to have a numb body."

"Three days?!" I exclaimed. "What day is it?"

"The Monday after the dance." Annabeth said. She grabbed an iced drink and gave it to me. I sipped it through the straw and tasted my favorite drink.

"A Dark/White Chocolate Mocha with extra chocolate and three pumps of mint?" I asked. I stared at the drink and it didn't look like my favorite drink.

"You taste coffee?" Annabeth asked.

"Yea, but this isn't it." I said. "What is it?"

"Nectar." She said.

"Do I look like I'm a humming bird?" I asked. "Why would you give me flower juice?"

"Not flower nectar, Tuna Head." Annabeth said jokingly. "Nectar of the Gods. It's the very thing the gods drink."

"I think you mean God." I said. "Where are we?"

"Camp Half-Blood." said Annabeth.

"That summer camp Percy told me about?" I wondered. "For Dyslexic and ADHD ridden kids? Why are we here?"

"Camp Half-Blood is more than a camp for those with Dyslexia and ADHD." said Annabeth. "It's the training place, and home, of demigods."

"Demigods?" I asked.

"Children of the gods." She explained. I gave her a quizzical look. "The Greek gods to be exact. Percy said he told you about the gods."

"Oh I think he did, but I was far more concerned with the spider demons coming after us!" I yelled.

"Don't say spider." said Annabeth after she shook with fear.

"Sorry." I said. I sipped on the Nectar some more and was starting to feel the soreness fade away. "So tell me more about Camp…and Demigods."

"Camp Half-Blood is _the_ training grounds for all demigods." Annabeth explained. "It's where we train our natural battle instincts. There's a reason why you were so good at Fencing and Kendo. They're your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Tsuna, not too little."

"So you're saying that I have no skill." I deadpanned.

"It's not that, it's just that you have a higher natural aptitude for battle." Annabeth said.

"And what Percy said about monsters, they're real?" I asked.

"They're very real." said Annabeth. "If those things we fought is considered any clue to you. But yea, monsters are real. There's the hydra and minotaur and many others that are real."

"Then why haven't I seen them." I asked.

"There's this thing, called the Mist." explained Annabeth. "It blankets the world and alters the perception of mortals. It can even affect demigods if it is powerful enough. You must have had a worried godly parent if you couldn't see _anything_ until recently."

"So…" I said after a few moments of silence. "I'm the son of some Greek god?"

"That's the reason you could drink the Nectar without being incinerated." Annabeth said. "But determining your godly parent is going to be difficult. You see, a few weeks ago there was a large battle in Manhattan, with us and most of the gods on one side and the minor gods and the Titans, led by Kronos, on the other. At the end of the battle Percy made the gods swear on the River Styx, which is the greatest promise on can make, to claim all of their children by the age of thirteen."

"But I'm sixteen." I said. "My birthday was a few weeks ago, on August 2nd."

"See that's the thing," started Annabeth, "The oath also has the gods claim any of their unclaimed children. So you should have known about being a demigod as early as the oath was taken."

"Well I've heard nothing about being a demigod." I said. "Not even a letter by owl."

"Ha ha, Tuna Head." mocked Annabeth as she punched me in my arm. I groaned slightly. She reached across and grabbed a golden cube of bread. "Here, eat this."

"What's this?" I asked as I took the square.

"Ambrosia." Annabeth said. "It's the food that the gods usually eat. Like the Nectar it has healing properties for us demigods."

I started nibbling on the square. It tasted like Sea Salt Caramel Ice Cream. I felt something warm in the pit of my stomach and my ribs felt much better. I felt more energetic and ready to walk about.

"Feel better?" asked Annabeth.

"Much better." I said. I stood up and stretched, popping my bones. My ribs felt a lot better but were still sore.

"Then we can start the tour." Annabeth said as she stood up herself. "And I don't believe the orientation film will be necessary."

"This camp has an orientation film?" I asked bewildered.

"It just expands on what I just told you." Annabeth said.

"Okay then." I said. We started walking out of the infirmary. I still was a bit unsteady on my feet so she supported me. I saw that there were people that were taking care of other campers. These 'nurses' looked really similar. They had blonde hair and blue eyes. "Why do the nurses look the same?"

"Those are the Children of Apollo." Annabeth explained. "Like their dad they excel at healing."

"Sons of Apollo… this is going is going to take some getting used to." I said.

"Pretty soon you'll find it completely normal." said Annabeth. "Now let's introduce you to Chiron and Mr. D."

As soon as we were out of the infirmary I felt steady enough to walk on my own. We walked through a hallway till we came to a door. We left the door and were on a deck. The deck was furnished with lawn chairs and tables. Some of the lawn chairs had pillows and blankets. Annabeth and I walked around the deck, which covered the entire house. As we turned a corner I saw two men playing a card game.

One man had a chubby face, a red nose and curly hair so black, it looks purple. He had watery, blue, bloodshot eyes, as if he was drinking. He was wearing a tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt and purple running shoes. The other man was in a wheelchair. He had thinning brown hair, bushy eyebrows, intense brown eyes and a scruffy beard. He was wearing a tweed jacket with a blanket over his legs.

"Ah, it looks like our newest camper has awakened." said the man in the wheelchair.

"Yippee, another camper." said the chubby man in tiger stripes. "Why can't they just get eaten or something before they get here? *sigh* Even fifty years stuck here is insufferable."

"Tsuna, meet our heads of staff here at Camp Half-Blood, Chiron and Mr. D, the god of wine." said Annabeth. She pointed to the man in the wheelchair and the man in the tiger stripes respectively.

"The god of wine?" I asked. "Why is there such a usele-?"

"I think what he means to say is," interrupted Annabeth as she placed her hand over my mouth, "Why is there use a useful, and absolutely powerful and… handsome, god working at this…this… uh, umm… boring camp full of idiot heroes?"

"Thank you Anna Lee." said Mr. D. while looking at me.

"Actually, it's Annabeth." muttered Annabeth.

"I would watch your mouth boy." continued Mr. D. "I may be the nicest of the gods, but that doesn't mean I won't tolerate rudeness."

Mr. D's tone was very threatening. I was scared, but I didn't let it show. He was staring at me, as if he was sizing me up. I could see out of the corner of my eye that Annabeth was looking between me and Mr. D.

"I win." said Chiron as he laid down his hand of cards.

"What?!" said Mr. D. "That's not fair, rematch!"

"Very well." said Chiron. "Annabeth, did you explain everything to Tsuna?"

"Yes Chiron." Annabeth said.

"Good." Chiron said. "Now, take Tsuna to the sparring arena. There's someone who wishes to see him."

"Who wants to see me?" I asked. "I don't know anyone here-"

"Come on Tuna Head." said Annabeth as she dragged me off the porch.

Without the porch cover it was really bright. The sun shone brightly and there were many people running around, all of them wearing an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. There were groups of people that looked a lot alike. Annabeth pointed at a volleyball court which had a couple of campers playing against pale green skinned girls. Annabeth said they were called Dryads.1

There was a river not too far away from the building that housed the infirmary. Annabeth said that it was aptly named the Big House. We crossed the little bridge and headed straight for the sparring arena. We passed close to a field of strawberries. Annabeth said that Mr. D's presence affects the fields. While we walked several campers came up to Annabeth and asked for her opinion on certain things. They looked a bit like Annabeth, with grey eyes and blonde hair. They seemed to be talking about projects and architectures.

Annabeth introduced me to the campers and said that they're her half-siblings and cabin mates. I said hi and they all introduced themselves. They eyed me strangely. When they left Annabeth said that they were trying to decide if I was a child of Athena. Annabeth, however, said I wasn't Athena Cabin material. Didn't really know how to react to that.

I could see a forest off in the distance. In the sky were several things flying around. I focused on them and saw that they were flying horses; Pegasi. Soon the sparring arena came into view. It looked like the Coliseum. As we entered I could hear the ringing of steel and a lot of grunting and groaning. We walked into the open arena itself and I saw scarecrows in armor and two very familiar faces sparring.

"Hyah!" yelled Nico. He thrust his eerie black sword at Percy who knocked it out of the way with his sword.

"Come on Nico, I know you're better than that." smiled Percy.

Nico attacked again and actually made Percy block and back off. Then Percy retaliated. He was very good with a sword, but I could tell he was holding back. Because Percy was holding back Nico was able to hold his own. It was a thrill watching them. Their blades were arcs of bronze and black metal. When Nico struck again Percy caught the blade with his own and swung the black blade out of Nico's hand.

"No fair!" yelled Nico. "You cheated Percy!"

"How wasn't I fair?" asked Percy.

"I can think of a few ways." I said, announcing my presence. Percy and Nico turned around quickly.

"Tsuna!" yelled a happy Percy. He dropped his sword and rushed me. He pulled me into a tight hug and squeezed hard. Despite my ribs feeling immensely better, they were still a bit sore.

"Per-Percy! The ribs!" I choked out. He instantly let go.

"Sorry!" said Percy. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Really?" I asked.

"He really was." said Nico. "He barely left your bedside since you three got here. Me and Annabeth had to practically drag him away so somebody else could watch you."

"Percy, why would you do that?" I asked.

"I-I felt responsible for you." admitted Percy.

"You shouldn't ever feel that way Percy." I said. I then hugged him. "But thank you."

"What an adorable budding bromance." Annabeth said. Percy and I separated quickly.

"So..." I said. "Do I get a tour of camp?"

"Of course." said Percy as he put his arm around my shoulders. "Come on Nico."

"Do I have too?" asked Nico.

"Yes you do Death Boy." said Annabeth. She grabbed his arm and pulled him with us.

We walked around the entire camp. When we left the sparring arena Percy pointed to the west and said that's where the Stables were. He also said that the Stables held both horses and the Pegasi I saw. We walked south towards the Big House. I didn't look back when Annabeth and I first left, but now I could see that it was painted sky blue and was four stories tall with a bronze eagle weather vane. Annabeth said that the Big House held Chiron's office, the Infirmary, and a Rec Room.

We then curved around and headed toward the volleyball courts. There wasn't anybody playing when we got there. I noticed that Nico looked really warm, so I asked him if he wanted me to hold his jacket. He responded with a stern no and clutched his aviator's jackets protectively. We stopped by the Arts and Crafts pavilion. Percy said that we could make our own swords and other projects there. After that we went to the Amphitheater. I instantly liked it, as it reminded me of my time on the stage. But then I felt sad as it reminded me of Mom.

Percy was really excited when we arrived at the Climbing Wall, and I could see why. It was really tall. There were some campers climbing it. Lava was pouring from it and there were boulders falling around the campers. It looked really fun and I wanted a go at it. After we watched the campers climb the wall for several minutes Annabeth said we should continue the tour. As we left I saw a young camper, maybe around ten, being bullied by an older camper. The older one was forcing the younger to climb the wall, but the ten year old looked scared and had tears in his eyes.

"What the hell?" I asked.

"What is it Tsuna?" asked Annabeth.

"Percy, come with me." I said. He followed me towards the two campers. The younger was already pretty high up for someone his height.

"Come on, all the way to the top." said the older. He looked a lot like the camp nurses that were in the infirmary.

"What do you think you were doing?" I asked. The older turned around.

"Jackson?" asked the bully. "Who's this?"

"Name's Tsuna." I said. "Give me yours."

"Eric, son of Apollo." The bully said. "What do you want?"

"To know why you are picking on that kid." I said.

"Why?" Eric said. "It's none of your business."

"Actually I'm making it my business." I said. "I hate bullies."

"This isn't bullying." Eric said. "It's an initiation."

"Is he a Son of Apollo too?" I asked.

"Maybe." said Eric with a smirk.

"Uh huh." I said. "Percy, help the kid. He looks scared to death."

"Right." said Percy. He walked to the base of the wall. "Hey! I'm Percy! What's your name?"

"Casey." said the young camper. He was shaking with fear and his eyes were closed tightly.

"Casey, it's going to be alright." Percy said. "I know you're scared, but you need to jump off the wall."

"But it's too high!" screamed Casey. Tears were falling from his face.

"I know it is, but you need to trust me." Percy said. "I'll catch you, I promise."

"Don't listen to him Casey." said Eric. Annabeth and Nico came up and were giving Eric death glares. "Don't you want to be loved by our brothers and sisters?"

"Y-yeah…" said Casey.

"Then climb up to the top." said Eric. "Prove you're a son of Apollo."

"How does risking his life prove he's a son of Apollo?" I asked. "Did you take this little initiation?"

"Ye-…I-… no" whispered Eric.

"I thought so." I said. "Casey, please jump. It's like you're flying in the air."

"I'm scared!" cried Casey.

"It's okay to be afraid." Nico spoke up. "For us demigods, it's what will keep alive when we are fighting monsters. Take Percy, he's the hero of Olympus, and he was scared of Kronos."

"Thanks for that, Nico…" muttered Percy.

"But-!" yelled Casey. He opened his eyes and saw us. He looked at me to Percy, then to Nico and Annabeth. He nodded and let go of the wall. He fell and Percy caught him. Percy set him on the ground and ruffled his hair.

"Annabeth, could you-?" started Percy.

"Yeah, I'll take him to his cabin." said Annabeth. "Come on Casey."

She grabbed his hand and walked him away from us. Eric was visibly angry. He looked like he was about do something, but one look from Percy, Nico, and I made him back off. He grumbled something about defying him…I wasn't really listening. From the Climbing Wall we went to the Dining Pavilion, then the Cabins. There were twenty cabins. Each one looked different. Annabeth was waiting for us by the time we got there.

"Oh great…" said Nico under his breath.

"What's wrong Nico?" I asked.

"Annabeth is obsessed with architecture." Nico said. "And since we're at the Cabin part of the tour…just get ready."

"O…kay…?" I said.

"Hey everyone." said Annabeth.

"How's Casey?" asked Percy.

"He's fine." Annabeth said. "I took him back to the Apollo Cabin and explained what happened to Will."

"So there's a cabin for each god here?" I interrupted.

"Yes there is." said Annabeth. "There are currently twenty cabins, each one representing one of the gods of Mount Olympus. If you're riding a Pegasus above the cabins you can see that they are in the shape of an omega."

Nico was right that Annabeth was obsessed with architecture. She went on and on about specific details of each cabin and how she would personally 'upgrade' them, as she puts it. I, however, drowned her out and just looked at the Cabins themselves. I only paid attention when she was telling me which cabin belonged to a certain god or goddess.2

One cabin looked like a regular brick house. With a closer look I saw weird inscriptions carved into each stone. With everything I've been experiencing lately I guessed they were something related to magic. Annabeth proved this by saying it was the cabin for the children of Hecate, the goddess of magic.

The next cabin represented the Tyche, the goddess of fortune. It looked like miniature Vegas casino. Down the line was the Hebe Cabin for the children of the goddess of youth. I couldn't even begin to describe it. The same thing with the cabin for Nike, the goddess of victory. The cabin for Nemesis, the goddess of revenge didn't look like much, but it did have one distinguishing feature: a broken wheel above the door that looked like Pac-Man.

A cabin that looked like an old-fashioned prairie house quickly came into view. It had mud thatched walls and rush roof, with red poppies over the door entrance. Listening closely I could just make out the sound of violins. The next cabin was the best one yet. It was windowless and made with obsidian stone. It had heavy columns and torches lit with green flames that Annabeth called Greek Fire and a skull over the doorway.

"Whose cabin is that?" I asked excitedly.

"That's mine." said Nico. "It represents my father, Hades."

"Hades? As in the Lord of the Dead, that Hades?" I asked in bewilderment. "Nico you're my new best friend."

"Uh…Why?" asked Nico.

"Because you and your dad are cool." I said. "In any interpretation of the myths I always liked seeing Hades."

"Thanks." said Nico. "I guess…"

"You're welcome." I said.

We continued the tour with the cabin of Dionysus. It looked like a regular cabin but covered in grape vines. Then there was the Hermes cabin. It was the least impressive among the cabins I have seen. It was freshly painted brown and had the symbol I usually see at hospitals, a caduceus.

Next was what everyone called Barbie's dream cabin. It was the summer home of the children of Aphrodite. It was a wooden cabin with a painted blue roof, pillars, a checkerboard deck with steps and gray walls. It was hard to get close to it without gagging on the smell of designer perfume. The Hephaestus came next and it looked like a tiny factory, being made of brick and having a smokestack sticking out of it.

A gray cabin was next. It was covered in paintings and carvings of wild animals. I was told that it belonged to Artemis, the goddess of the moon. Annabeth said that since Artemis is a Maiden Goddess she has no children and the cabin is honorary. She went on to add that her Hunters, young women that Artemis blessed with immortality to become her companions, stayed there when they visited. At the mention of the Hunters Nico's face darkened.

The next cabin nearly blinded me. It appeared to be made out of solid gold and so bright that I couldn't make out any details. As we came to the next cabin Annabeth started getting excited. It was gray building with plain white curtains and a design of an owl over the door.

"Why are you so excited about this cabin Annabeth?" I asked.

"Because this is my cabin Tuna Head." said Annabeth.

"And it represents which god?" I asked.

"My mother, Athena. The goddess of Wisdom, handicrafts, useful arts, and battle strategy." said Annabeth.

"So that's why Percy calls you Wise Girl." I said.

"Oh does he now?" asked Annabeth, giving Percy a look. Percy just raised his arms and backed off.

After the Athena Cabin was what I like to call the War Zone. It was a fitting name for the cabin that hosted to children of Ares, the god of war. Looking at the cabin made me remember the God of War games. The cabin was badly painted red, like splattered blood, and has a large boar's head over the door with barbed wire on the roof. Percy joked there were landmines around the cabin. At least I hoped he was kidding.

Compared to the Ares Cabin, the Demeter Cabin was a lot tamer. It has a roof that is made of real grass and has tomato vines growing on the walls. It has wild flowers and roses growing on the porch. Its color is a kind of a light brown. Annabeth pointed to the next cabin in the distance. With a hint of anger in her voice she said it belonged to the queen of the gods, Hera. It is an honorary cabin as apparently Hera doesn't 'go around having affairs with mortals'. It was made out of marble, and shaped like a box. It had slim white columns, garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with the images of peacocks.

We were down to the last two cabins and looked like complete opposites. The one closest to us was for Zeus, the king of the gods. It was another marble building, looking like a mausoleum, with heavy columns. The big bronze double doors are polished in such a way to provide a 'holographic' effect of lightning bolts passing across. It clearly was the largest of the cabins.

The last cabin that we visited was absolutely breathtaking. It was simple, yes, but it seemed to draw my attention more than the others had. It was a long, low building with windows facing the ocean, and looking like it's made of rough sea stone, with pieces of coral at the end of the cabin and a seashell and a trident over the door.

"Zeus…Ares…Athena…Hera…" I said as I pointed at the respected cabins. "That just leaves…Poseidon."

"My father." said Percy. "That's my cabin."

"You're the son of the sea god?" I muttered, remembering what Mr. Umo said. "_He said he was going to take the Umi no Musuko, the Son of the Sea_"

"What's on your mind Tsuna?" asked Nico.

"Nothing." I lied. "So is this the end of the tour?"

"Yep, that's it." said Annabeth. "We'll just take you to the cabin where you'll be staying."

"What?" I asked. "Why can't I stay with Percy? Or Nico?"

"Sorry, camp rules." Annabeth explained. "You can only stay in the cabin that represents your godly parent. But since you lineage is currently unknown, and since Hermes is the God of Travelers, all new comers stay there until your parent is determined. Come on Percy; let Nico take Tsuna to the Hermes Cabin."

"But Anna-" started Percy before she pulled him away. "Uh, see you later Tsuna, Nico."

"Where are they going in such a hurry?" asked Nico with a curious look on his face.

"Uh, how old are again Nico?" I asked.

"Umm…thirteen, I think." Nico said.

"You're too young to know Nico." I said. "At the very least, it's going to be a long make-out session."

Nico led me back to the Hermes Cabin. I wasn't too keen on the idea of staying with people I never even met before. Nico and I got to the porch and knocked. A little girl with elfish features opened the door. Nico asked her to get two people by the names of Connor and Travis Stoll. She nodded and went to get the Stolls.

"Hey Nico, quick question." I said as we waited.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Well actually it's two questions." I stated. "First, since the cabins here are the homes of the children of the gods, aren't they all related?"

"Yea, everyone in a cabin is a half sibling." explained Nico. "There are cases where you have full blooded siblings in cabins, like Travis and Connor. What was the other question?"

"Well aren't all the gods like, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, so on and so forth?" I asked. "Doesn't that mean that we're all like cousins or something?"

"Oh, well…" started Nico. "I'm not sure. I never thought about before."

"Well, between you and me," I said, "I think you'd be a great little brother or cousin."

Before Nico could respond two identical boys came out of the Hermes Cabin. They both had tall and skinny with a mop of curly brown hair that hangs in their blue eyes, upturned eyebrows, a sarcastic smile and a gleam in their eyes. One was a tad taller than the other, but other than that they were completely identical.

They introduced themselves as Travis, the taller one, and Connor Stoll, the shorter one, and that they are the co-counselors of the Hermes Cabin. After I explained who I was, they happily led me into the cabin. Nico came in as well. The interior of the cabin looked nicer than the outside. It was crowded, but not uncomfortably so. They led me to an empty spot on the floor and gave me a sleeping bag, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a Camp shirt and brown cargo shorts. Nico whispered into my ear that I should keep an eye on my stuff, as Hermes is also the god of thieves.

After Nico left I talked to my new cabin mates and tried to get to know them. They were really nice people. I noticed that most of them had the same features as Travis and Connor, while others did not. I asked Connor about it and he said that they are the unclaimed campers. An hour or so later we all lined up for dinner. I was at the end of the long line. We walked to the Dining Pavilion. When we got there I saw that all the tables were filled with the other campers. There were as many tables as there were campers. As the rest of the Hermes Cabin walked to their own table, I headed towards Percy's table as he was alone.

"Where do you think you're going Tsuna?" asked Travis.

"To sit with Percy." I said. "What? Is there a rule I can't sit over there?"

"Actually there is." said Travis. "I wouldn't enforce it, but Chiron will."

So I begrudgingly sat at the Hermes Table. I barely fit on the bench, it was so crowded. I stared at Percy then at Nico. It wasn't right for the two of them to be alone. Especially Nico, he's too young to be eating all by himself. I was then brought food by green skinned girls, the Dryads Connor called them. It was a plate of the best grapes, cheese, and barbeque I have ever seen. My mouth was watering and my eyes wide. As I was about to dig in, the entire table stood up and head to the pyre that was in the center of the pavilion.

I asked what was going on when Percy signaled me to stand up and follow them. I did and watched as the others scraped the best parts of their food into the hearth. I was about to say something when I was told that it appeases the gods and that it is a good way for our godly parents to hear our prayers. I was the last one from the Hermes table to get to the hearth. I stared at it for a moment when I saw that Percy was signaling me again to scrap my food into the fire. As I did I thought…no, prayed to my father.

"_Please_," I thought, "_Please give me a sign father_."

As I scraped some of my food into fire I smelled a pleasant scent and I thought I felt something. I wasn't sure what, but I guess it was just a feeling in the pit of my stomach that I was being watched. Then I walked back to the table and began eating. The food was delicious. As I began to get thirsty the cup next to me filled with a red liquid. I picked it up and took a sip.

"Code Red Mountain Dew?!" I exclaimed. I drained the cup and it refilled itself.

Friday came by fast. The Hermes Cabin (actually, it was Travis and Connor specifically) put me through several 'events' to help me determine my lineage. They had me race Dryads and members of the Hermes Cabin but I wasn't fast enough to beat them. They watched me when I tried archery with the Apollo Cabin. I failed miserably at that. I fared much better in canoe racing with Aphrodite Cabin and the Naiads. I wasn't good at building anything either, so I took that as a sign that I'm not a son of Hephaestus.

Every other day the Hermes Cabin had a sword sparring session with Percy. Since Nico was alone he usually just followed Percy around, so he was there as well. During these sparring sessions I easily beat the other members of the Hermes Cabin. This was even with the fact that none of the sword I used felt right in my hand.

"Hey Tsuna!" said Percy. "Want to spar against me?"

"Sure." I said as I walked to him. "If you think you can take me."

"Oh no." said one of the campers.

"This isn't going to last long." said another.

"Place your bets!" cried Travis and Connor in unison.

Percy and I readied our swords. We circled around each other, looking for the best moment to strike. I made the first move. With a thrust of my sword I striked. Percy wasn't expecting it and angled his sword to block the blow. He then attacked and I was able to parry his attacks. It was really fun sparring with Percy. I was using techniques I learned from Kendo and Fencing. We were going at it for several minutes. We both were drenched in sweat and the crowd was cheering the both of us on. It was nearing the end game, and Percy and I were getting really tired. The blade I was using was extremely awkward to use and Percy saw that. The next time we clashed swords he swung the sword I was using out of my hand and me at sword point.

"Okay…" I started. "You win"

That Friday night after dinner was Capture the Flag. Over the past week the Ares and Athena Cabins were making deals and alliances with the other Cabins. After dinner, it was the Poseidon, Athena, Hermes, Hades, and Dionysus Cabins on the blue team, and the Ares, Demeter, Apollo, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Iris, Hypnos, Hecate on the red team. With some armor put on and being armed with a sword, which felt unbalanced like all the rest, the blue team walked to one side of the forest.

"Here's the plan everyone." said Annabeth. She and Percy were unanimously elected the leaders of the blue team. "We all know that the Aphrodite Cabin doesn't really participate in the game and we shouldn't expect much from the Hypnos Cabin. So Percy, Travis, and Connor, you three go and get the flag. I'm assigning Nico and Tsuna to guard the creek. Me and Pollux will guard our flag. Everyone else is to distract and stall the red team for as long as you can. Good luck everyone."

The team separated and Nico led the way to the creek. As we stood guard I fidgeted with the armor. It was heavy and tight and really uncomfortable. Every now and again I saw a bird's shadow but every time I looked up there wasn't a bird.

"Man this armor is uncomfortable." I said.

"It's something you'll get used to." said Nico. His armor was black and he was wearing a skull shaped visor, which completed the whole 'son of a god of the dead' thing.

"And this sword doesn't feel right either…" I said.

"I didn't peg you as a complainer Tsuna." said Nico. "And do you always talk so much?"

"Jeez Nico, how did you become so uptight at the age of thirteen?" I asked.

"I just grew up." Nico said. "When you're the son of Hades, it's the best thing to do."

"That's not right." I said. I put my hand on his shoulder sympathetically. "Nobody should be forced to skip their entire childhood. You should reconnect with that part of you Nico."

"What do you know about it?!" demanded Nico as he stormed away. "You don't know what it's been like for me. You don't know what it's like to lose someone you love!"

"Actually…" I started. "I do."

"What?" wondered Nico.

"Percy didn't tell you, did he?" I asked. Nico shook his head. I turned my back to him and walked to a large rock that was next to the river and sat down. "Of course he didn't."

"What happened to you Tsuna?" asked Nico as he walked closer.

"I… my Mother…" I stuttered. My heart felt like it was tightening, all of the pain was returning. My emotions were getting the better of me. "My Mother, she-she died recently. She was on a sea expedition when a freak storm when…when…"

"It's okay Tsuna." said Nico. His hand was shaking as he put it on my shoulder, as if he has never done any comforting before. I felt tears falling down my cheeks.

"Thanks Nico." I said.

"I lost my mom too." admitted Nico. "And my sister. I had so much anger in me. I even hated Percy for the longest time."

"But you two act like brothers." I stated.

"And you and Percy don't?" Nico asked. I saw another shadow from a bird fly across the ground.

"You think we act like brothers?" I wondered.

"Yeah, I do." Nico said. "Especially since he never left your side when you were in the infirmary. He seems really protective of you."

"I never knew Percy really cared." I said. "Then again it has been a bit obvious. So how did you get over your hate?"

"Percy saved my life." Nico explained. "It was when I was off on my own and traveled the Labyrinth looking for a way to revive my sister."

"You tried to revive your sister?" I asked. "Why?"

"She was the last person I had, the last connection to my past." Nico said as he clutched his knees. "I had no one left."

"But now you have Percy and Annabeth, Sally and Paul…there must be a few campers that your friends with." I said.

"I think the Ares Cabin likes me the best, but I don't think the others do very much." said Nico.

"That's their loss then." I said. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders. "And guess what."

"What?" he asked curiously.

"You have me for a friend as well." I said. "You can't be alone with all of us around in your life."

"Thanks Tsuna." He said. He looked around and stood up. "I think we should get back to guard duty or else Annabeth will never let us hear the end of it."

"Yeah you're right." I agreed.

I stood up and looked around myself. I heard fighting and the yelling of the other campers, but surprisingly there were no campers heading in our direction. That bird shadow that I keep seeing appeared again and when I looked up the bird was gone. It was really starting to bug me. I started getting the feeling that I was being watched. The shadow appeared again and hovered around Nico who didn't seem to notice it. I noticed that the shadow was stopped moving when it was right behind Nico and got bigger. Figuring it was something bad I ran to Nico and tackled him out of the way. As we rolled on the ground something big and fast swooped down and back up into the sky.

As Nico and I stood back up we drew our swords. The thing flew above us in a circle and landed on the ground in front of us. It looked absolutely repulsive. To say that it looked remotely human was being generous. Its body was covered in greasy gray feathers. Its arms were bird wings and at the ends of the wings were human hands. It was wearing baggy sweat pants that were stained with blood and…other disgusting things. The feet looked kinda like a chicken's, but much more deadly. The face was the worst part of the creature. It was the most human part about it. Where its mouth and nose supposed to be was a long, pointed yellow beak. When it opened the beak it revealed sharp teeth. I could just tell that there was something in between his teeth, and it was still twitching. And around its neck was a necklace made of bones in the form of a kanji.

"There you are!" said the bird creature. "It took far too long to find you, Tsunayoshi!"

"What in the name of the gods is that?!" I asked. I quickly got used to the way everyone speaks here.

"My guess? A harpy." Nico said. "A really ugly one."

"Don't compare me to those weakling harpies!" said the bird-man. His feathers ruffled when he got angry.

"How did you get passed the Camp's magical borders?" I wondered. "They are designed to keep monsters out."

"*Chuckle* That barrier of nature magic was hard to get through, but thanks to this amulet," started the bird when he indicated to the bone necklace, "I was able to slip right through. And the smell that was radiating off that Fleece? Revolting!"

"Apparently you haven't smelled yourself lately." said Nico with his t-shirt over his nose.

"I only have to bring Tsunayoshi back with me you little morsel." The bird-man said as he picked at his teeth. "But the trip does make one hungry, and you look delicious."

"If you want Nico," I said as I stood in front of my black haired friend, sword raised, "You'll have to go through me."

"You Greeks and your hero complexes." said the bird. "It's so sickeningly sweet."

"If you're not a harpy, what are you?" asked Nico.

"Well, your pantheon hasn't encountered mine in many centuries, so I doubt you've ever heard of me." The bird-man said. "But I am a Daitengu."

"_Daitengu…why does that sound familiar_?" I thought to myself. "Name yourself."

"Why do you wish to know my name Demigod?" asked the Daitengu.

"If I'm going to send you to the pits of Tartarus, I would like to know your name." I said. "It's only the honorable thing to do."

"Tsuna-" started Nico.

"Honor *pfft*" scoffed the Daitengu. "I almost forgot what that was. But very well, Umi no Musuko, I shall indulge in your little request. I am called Ajari. Now you're coming with me!"

Ajari the Daitengu ran at us with a speed I didn't imagine he could possess. He swiped at us with his clawed feet and punched at us with his hands. Nico and I countered his claws with our blades. Ajari seemed disturbed by Nico's sword and I couldn't blame him. Percy told me that unlike our normal swords and weapons which are made of Celestial Bronze, Nico's sword is made from metal that originates from the Underworld, called Stygian Iron. It is capable of absorbing the very life force of a monster.

Ajari flew into the air and with a screech that echoed throughout the forest he dove at us. Nico got out of the way while I stepped to the side. As Ajari passed I swung my sword down and sliced off his foot. With scream he fell to the ground and rolled around.

"Argh! My foot!" cried Ajari as he clutched what was left of ankle. "You'll pay for that you Rokudenashi3!"

Ajari attacked much more fiercely. His fingernails grew long talons and he slashed at me and Nico. We were seriously cut up, but thankfully his talons couldn't pierce the chest armor. Nico and I made a plan without talking to each other. I distracted Ajari while Nico snuck up from behind him. Ajari seemed to know what was going on because he slapped me way and knocked Nico's blade out of his hand.

"A sneak attack won't work on the likes of a Daitengu!" yelled Ajari. He raised his clawed hands and swung down with all his might. His talons ripped through Nico's armor and made large gashed on his chest.

"NICO!" I screamed. I ran as fast as I could and swung my sword. Ajari heard me and jumped out of the way, so I was only capable of clipping a few of his feathers.

When Ajari went out of sight I ripped off my armor and took off my jacket. I cut what was left of Nico's armor off and pressed my jacket into his wounds. There was a lot of blood and I didn't know what to do.

"PERCY!" I yelled. "ANNABETH!"

"Craw!" yelled Ajari.

He dove again and picked me up by the shoulder, his talons digging into me. I was able to pick up my sword before I was taken off the ground. As I struggled he took me over the forest. I stabbed him the thigh and he dropped me. I fell into the trees and collided with many branches. I was lying on the ground in serious pain with a dislocated shoulder when Ajari yelled from above.

"You better hurry up and get to your friend Umi no Musuko!" taunted Ajari. "I can smell his blood, and I'm ever so hungry!"

"No, Nico!" I yelled as I stood up.

My body was beaten, but not my drive to protect Nico. I didn't even bother looking for my sword. I just ran straight to the river. When I got passed the trees, Nico was attempting to fend off Ajari with his sword as the bird creature dove at him. As Ajari attacked Nico again the son of Hades swung his sword and just barely scratched Ajari's face.

"Argh! You little brat! No one denies Ajari his meal!" yelled the Daitengu. He dove again and I ran as fast as I could to intercept Ajari and stood in front of Nico, who fell to his knees because he was exhausted.

"_Please, somebody…ANYBODY_!" I yelled mentally. In the corner of my eye I saw my dragon ring glow brightly. "_Help me_!"

The next thing I knew was that Ajari's beak was imbedded deep into my left shoulder. I felt the warmth of my blood fall out of the wound. Ajari was grunting for some unknown reason. He took his beak out of my shoulder and slowly walked back. I glanced down and saw that there was a long silver blade in his chest, right under where his heart should be. Ajari jumped back and clutched his wound.

"So our informants were right…" said Ajari with staggered breathing. "You have revealed yourself… Ryūjin."

I raised the sword, which was a katana, to eye level so I could look at it. First thing I noticed was that it was perfectly balanced in my hand. The blade was three and a half foot long silver blade. At the base of the blade were wave designs, and the blade was faintly glowing blue. Ajari's blood flowed off the blade, not even leaving any indication there was something on it. The guard was made of a beautiful white stone with an intricate dragon design carved I to it. The handle was tightly tied in a dark blue cloth and the pommel of the sword is shaped in the head of a dragon. The dragon head had an open mouth and a pearl was imbedded into it. The eyes of the dragon head were made out of sapphires.

"Where did you come from?" I asked as I marveled at the magnificent blade.

"*SQWUAK!*" yelled Ajari. He angrily rushed me and swiped with his clawed hands. I countered his attack with my new sword.

"_This blade is amazing_!" I thought. "_It's perfectly balanced in my hand, like it's an extension of my own arm_!"

Even with the new blade Ajari was able to get some hits in. His claws tore at my side. I ignored the pain and the loss of blood and sliced Ajari in a downward strike. A line of blood burst out of his wound. With a screech he used his only foot to grab my thigh and squeeze with all his might. A loud cracking sound was heard and I screamed in pain, but with Ajari so close I stabbed my katana through his left wing. I ignored the pain and slashed at Ajari as fast as I could, backing him up to the river. As I was about to go for the killing strike Ajari jumped over me and kicked me into the river.

"How sweet!" said Ajari as he glided over to Nico's unconscious body. "Dead meat!"

"No!" I yelled as Ajari opened his mouth and plunged at Nico. "NICO!"

Several arrows shot out of the forest and impaled Ajari in the back. He cried out in pain and rolled away. Campers appeared from every part of the forest, swords and spears raised and arrows notched. Chiron sprinted through the woods with Percy and Annabeth on his back. His bow was notched with five arrows.

"Get away from my campers you foul creature!" demanded Chiron.

"Nico!" yelled Percy as he ran over to help his friend and cousin. Annabeth ran over with him.

"Ah, look who it is," said Ajari as he pulled out the arrows, "Old horse man. How have you been Chiron, old friend?"

"You are no friend of mine demon!" yelled Chiron as he released his arrows. Ajari jumped into the air and dodged the arrows.

"I'm only considered a demon in certain eras Chiron." said Ajari. "Now is you excuse me, I'm starving."

Ajari dove at Nico again, teeth bared. Chiron and all the archers readied their arrows. Percy and Annabeth raised their weapons, ready to defend Nico. I somehow knew that they wouldn't be able to stop him from getting Nico, so I yelled.

"NO!" I screamed as I reached towards Ajari.

I felt a pulling in my gut and a large column of water blasted up from behind me. It formed a hand and grabbed Ajari, and then it slammed him into the center of the river. He broke the surface of the water and spat out the river water.

"Stay away from him!" I demanded. I felt something cold crawl up my body and enter my wounds. I looked at my hand and saw that water was crawling up my body and healing my wounds. It was also energizing.

"Well that proves it!" said Ajari with a maniacal smile. "Oh, my Master will be pleased! You're definitely coming with me now!"

"Just try it Tweety." I said with a glare. I angled the blade away from me and had the point break the water's surface. I wasn't sure what I was doing; I was just going on instinct.

Ajari the Daitengu ran at me (more like hobbled in all honesty) as fast as one foot could carry him. As he ran I swung my katana in an arc in front of me. An arc of water formed and it collided with Ajari. The Daitengu wasn't expecting it and just barely dodged, causing his left wing to be sliced off with the water blade. I swung the sword again and created another arc of water which cut off Ajari's left wing. He fell to his knees before, look scared.

"Go back to the pit where you came from!" I yelled as I sliced his head off. As soon as his head was removed Ajari's body turned into a combination of sand and a pile of greasy feathers. I then remembered my injured friend. "Nico!"

I got out of the water and instantly felt much weaker. As I ran to Nico, all of the campers were staring at me with wide eyes. Annabeth nudged Chiron, who was putting a healing balm on Nico's chest. Chiron looked up and looked as shocked as the rest of the campers. Even Percy looked awestruck.

"What's everybody staring at?" I asked.

"It is determined." Chiron finally said. All the campers and Chiron kneeled before me, except Percy, who was looking above my head. I looked up and saw a fading green, holographic trident.

"Dad…" said Percy as he shifted his gaze to me. "Why has he never told me about you?"

"What are you talking about Percy?" I asked. "What does Poseidon have to do with this?"

"Tsuna, it means…it means that we're-" Percy said, trying to get the word out.

"Your godly parentage has been determined." interrupted Chiron. "Poseidon. Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Tsunayoshi Noble, Son of the Sea God."

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**1. I used the Camp Half-Blood Wiki to help with the layout of the camp. There's a map of the Camp located there if you want a visual of how the Camp is laid out in this story. The picture can be located at the top of the Camp Half Blood page.**

**2. Again the Camp Half Blood Wiki is used. I went in reverse order of the picture that can be located near the bottom of the Cabins page.**

**3. "You'll pay for that you bastard!"**

** Just so you all know this will be the last chapter for a while. With school starting back up, and me for some reason choosing difficult classes this semester, I don't know when I'll have time to update this story or Ultimum Mali. Please bear with me and enjoy what I have got posted. I thank you all for reading and please review.**


	5. Chapter V Percy

** Please enjoy and review.**

** This will be my first time at attempting another POV. Well, technically the first time was in the Darkness Saga: One Piece, but I digress. I will be using the Camp Half Blood Wiki and the actual book series as references for how the other characters speak, but if it doesn't seem like their personalities, please let me know.**

** Autumnal Equinox Thanks for that long review. I like your theories, but you have to read on to find out more. About Annabeth, yea, I don't think I'm going to do much with her. She's not an integral part of the story, and (spoilers) I plan on leaving her at Camp. Tsuna's name is from Reborn, but the characters are different. Quick fact, his name was originally supposed to be Taichi, Tai for short. And as much as I like your offer to state out grammatical errors, I would prefer it if no one points them out, unless they are **_**extremely**_** terrible and glaring.**

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**Chapter V Percy**

Well, this is a surprise. I have a brother. I mean, Tyson is great and all, and I wouldn't give him up for anything, but it's different knowing that I have a human brother. Tsuna and I have been really close since we first met each other a few weeks ago, but this something I never expected. I thought Dad was joking around when he said that he would be sending me some siblings. The entire camp bowed to Tsuna, like they did for me when I was claimed. He was just as mesmerized as everyone else. He came back to his senses and walked towards Nico.

"Is he alright?" Tsuna asked. He kneeled down and held Nico's hand.

"He needs more attention from me later, but I've healed the most serious injuries." Chiron said. Tsuna and I let out a sigh of relief at the same time. We noticed and stared at each other. I finally noticed the similarity in his eyes. They were the same as mine. Chiron noticed us staring at each other and broke the silence. "Despite tonights unexpected…'guest'… this game of Capture the Flag has been a great amount of fun. The winner for this week is the Blue team, led by the Athena and…Poseidon Cabins. Now, off to bed."

Chiron had a couple of campers carry Nico to the Infirmary. Tsuna started to go with them but Annabeth told him to go rest and she promised she'll look after Nico for the night. Tsuna was about to say something when I grabbed his shoulder. He didn't look at me.

"Come on." I said. "Annabeth will make sure he's alright. And Chiron is a great healer. Between you and me, I think he's better than the Apollo Cabin."

Tsuna followed me to the Poseidon Cabin. As we walked his sword turned into water and circled his right ring finger, turning back into his dragon ring. Despite everything I seen, this was weird. Tsuna said that he had that ring all his life, so the sword could've appeared at any time in his life. We walked up to the porch and I stood in front of the door.

"As the counselor of the Poseidon Cabin," I said as I tried to make light of the situation, "I formally welcome you, uh, brother."

"No need to be formal Percy." Tsuna said. He looked as if he was still accepting the fact we are related. I opened the door and let him in. "Whoa."

He was impressed with the cabin. I was too when I first saw it. The walls glowed like abalone. Tyson's bronze Hippocampi ornaments hung in the ceiling and swung in the air, like if they are swimming in the ocean. In the back there was the salt water fountain made out of gray sea rock. Water spouts out of the fish carved out of the stone, and it has coral for decoration. In the windows and on the bedside tables were glowing sea plants that Tyson brought from Dad's palace. There are six bunk beds covered in green and blue sheets.

"So you can have your choice of a bed." I said. I saw that Tsuna was still amazed by the cabin. Seeing that his shirt was still torn I went over to the dresser and took out a spare shirt and shorts. "Take these since yours are ripped."

"Thanks." He said as he took the clothes. He walked to the bed on the far left of the cabin and changed into the shirt.

"Who would've thought that we're brothers?" I asked aloud. "I mean don't see any resemblance…do you?"

I regretted saying that immediately. Tsuna turned around and stared at me with his bright sea green eyes, my eyes. I felt terrible, I mean, here was my new brother who was becoming my best friend before all this happened. He was alone with the world and I practically said that we weren't related.

"Tsuna, I'm so-" I started.

"Good night Percy." He said. He turned his back to me and got into the bed. As I got into bed I heard Tsuna quietly crying. I felt so terrible that I didn't even fall asleep.

The next day Tsuna seemed to be better. He was smiling and acted happy. Acted happy, but he didn't really look it. When Annabeth, Nico and the other campers were around Tsuna was playing with them and enjoying the activities. But when he thought no one was looking, he looked sad and angry. Nobody noticed but me.

"Chiron, can I ask you for a favor?" I asked.

"What is it Percy?" asked Chiron. "And where's Tsuna?"

"He's with Nico right now." I said. "Nico said something of wanting to play Mythomagic and Tsuna offered to play."

"Ah yes, Nico's card game." said Chiron. "So what is it that you wanted to ask?"

"Well, I was the only Son of Poseidon since, what, World War 2?" I started. "And with Tsuna being claimed…"

"Percy, please continue." Chiron said.

"*exhale* In all honesty Chiron, Tsuna seems distant." I admitted. "I mean, he acts happy and everything when everyone is around, but…I can tell that he's upset. So I was wondering if me and him can skip out on today's activities and spend time together, as brothers."

"Percy this is highly irregular-" started Chiron.

"We could say that it's a way to train his powers." I said. He just stared at me with his ancient eyes. "Please Chiron."

"Very well Percy." Chiron said. "Just make sure you get through to him."

"Thanks Chiron!" I said.

"Percy…" started Chiron.

"What is it?" I asked. I really needed to see Tsuna.

"I wish to talk to you and Tsuna soon." said Chiron. "With Poseidon claiming him and the incident with Ajari…there needs to an explanation."

"Okay Chiron." I said. I remembered that I wrote a letter to mom telling her about Tsuna. After I dropped it off in the mail room I ran off the porch of the Big House and went to find Tsuna. I found him and Nico in the Hades Cabin. He was having a difficult time playing Nico's favorite card game.

"Oh, hey Percy." Tsuna said. He looked relieved to have a distraction from the game. "Where have you been?"

"I went to talk to Chiron." I said. "Come on Tsuna, we're going to the Sound."

"What? Why?" he asked. He laid the cards down and gave up his match against Nico. He got off the bed and stretched. "Good game Nico."

"Can I come?" Nico asked.

"Sorry Nico, but it's just going to be me and Tsuna today." I said as I ruffled his hair. "Son of Poseidon stuff."

"Oh…okay." Nico said a little saddened. "I'll just…hang out with Clarisse or Annabeth or something."

"It's okay Nico." Tsuna said. "We'll hang out some more later. I'll beat you one of these days."

"Yea, I bet you will." Nico said. "See ya later."

"Bye Nico." Tsuna and I said at the same time. We left the Hades Cabin in silence.

"So…" Tsuna spoke up. "Do we need trunks or something?"

"No, _we_ don't need any trunks." I said.

"Why's that?" he asked.

"You'll see." I responded.

He gave me a strange look, maybe to show he was annoyed. We passed several campers on our way to the Sound. They gave Tsuna and me the same look, and I kinda knew what it was about. Tsuna's older than me and a son of Poseidon, one of the Big Three. What if, what if I wasn't the Child of Prophecy? Would Tsuna have made the right choice? I needed these questions answered, but I needed my new brother to get used to all of this first.

We arrived at the Long Island Sound not long after we left the Cabins. We walked the shoreline for a little bit till I found a row boat. We pushed it out into the water and rowed a ways out. We sat in the boat, feeling the waves rocking us back and forth.

"What are we doing out here Percy?" Tsuna asked.

"I just want to see what you can do." I said as I stood up. I started to will the waves to get stronger and rougher.

"What do you mean?" asked Tsuna. I made the waves even stronger. "Hey, sit down. I don't want you to go falling into the ocean."

With that I made the water batter the boat even fiercer than ever. Then I 'lost my footing' and fell overboard. The coolness of the sea surrounded me, but I never got wet. I willed myself to sink farther down, far enough that Tsuna couldn't see me but I could see him. I could tell that he was yelling my name. It was really funny, but it was time I started my experiment. Yeesh, I'm starting to sound like Annabeth now. I floated to right under the boat and put my hands on the bottom. Before I did anything I heard a few giggles. I turned around and saw several Nereids watching me.

"_What_?" I asked them. "_I just want to see what he can do_."

The just continues there giggling and faded away. With a shrug I pushed up and caused the boat to flip. I heard Tsuna yell and saw him crash in the water. After the bubbles floated up I saw that he was holding his breath. I started laughing because I saw that he wasn't wet either. I think he heard me because he quickly turned around and swam at me. I then felt his hands around my throat and he started to strangle me.

"_Tsuna it's okay_!" I said. "_You're not drowning or anything_."

"_That doesn't mean I can't choke the bloody life out of you for scaring me like that_!" Tsuna said. Then I think it hit him that he was breathing underwater. He let go of my throat and waved his hand in front of him. "_Whoa. Trippy_."

"_Cool, huh_?" I asked.

"_I can see your mouth move, but I hear your voice in my head._" Tsuna said. "_And I'm breathing underwater. Can all children of Poseidon do this_?"

"_This and several cool things._" I said. "_Come on, follow me._"

We swam through the Sound but stayed within the Camp's borders. We saw several sea monsters swimming around. Tsuna was amazed by it. He told me how he had always wanted to swim in the ocean like this. When we got closer to shore I should Tsuna a little trick. I focused on the ocean and blasted myself out of the water. I landed on the boat, a bit painfully, and Tsuna did the same. To see his other abilities, I told him to tell the boat to start heading towards the beach. He looked at me weirdly but did so anyway. He was amazed that the boat did what he told. He looked so happy that it made me smile.

"That was awesome!" Tsuna yelled as soon as we stepped foot on the beach. "What else can we do?"

"We can harden water into weapons." I said. "Like this."

I held out my hand and water started to flow up from the ocean. The water took the shape of a trident. Tsuna liked this power. He created a spear and shield. He even took it a step further by walking on the water.

"I wonder, was Jesus a son of Poseidon?" he asked. "I mean, he could walk on water."

"I never thought about it." I said.

"What do you mean you never thought about it?" Tsuna asked. He walked back onto the beach, removed his shoes and socks and waded in the water. "You obviously never considered that there are other gods in the world?"

"Honestly, with the Titan War and everything that has been going on the past four years I just concentrated on the Greeks." I said. I walked to the waterline where he was standing. After a couple of minutes I decided to splash him.

"Hey!" Tsuna yelled. Of course he could have willed himself to stay dry, but I don't think he wanted to. "You are going down!"

So we had a splash fight. It was like I was a kid again. It got to a point where Tsuna tackled me and we wrestled me in the water. After a while we laid on the beach, basking in the sun. When we dried we walked to the sparring arena.

"So we're sparring again?" Tsuna asked.

"I wanna see what you can really do with that sword of yours." I said as I took Riptide out of my pocket. "You were almost able to beat me with an unbalanced sword. Show me what you can so with a balanced one."

"Isn't that the pen your teacher gave you?" Tsuna asked.

"It was a gift from Chiron." I said as I uncapped Riptide. It extended into its sword form.

"A pen that transforms into a sword." Tsuna said. Without him even doing anything his ring changed into a stream of water that swirled around his arm, then transforming into the blade in his hand. It really was an impressive blade. I've never seen anything like it before. It was longer than Riptide, which meant that Tsuna could get a hit in without getting as close as I do. "It's like you're compensating for something."

"Have you ever tried to hide a sword in public?" I asked. "It's a lot easier to keep it in pen form. Besides, Hercules used this sword before."

"Well, let's see how I fare against you now." Tsuna said. He grabbed the handle with both hands and got into a stance. "Ready?"

"Always." I said, flipping Riptide around in my hand.

We were evenly matched, which was saying something considering that I have the Curse of Achilles. I know he practiced in Kendo and Fencing, but this was different from what he showed me. It was like he had been formally trained in how to use that sword. We were doing this for several hours, the ringing of our blades coming into contact echoing throughout the arena. I think people came to watch, but I was too distracted. Tsuna was really, really good. I mean, he never got a hit in, but neither did I.

But then he was able to get past my defense. I should have known that his sword was designed for speedy attacks, as well as strong ones. It even looked lighter than Riptide. Anyways, Tsuna used the same trick I used on him a few days ago and knocked Riptide out of my hands. He also must have been a little excited because he turned around in a circle and slashed my chest. Thank the gods for the Curse of Achilles or else I would've been done for.

"Percy, are you alright?!" Tsuna asked, obviously feeling guilty.

"Yea, you only cut my shirt." I said. "I really liked the shirt though."

"Don't you have like, ten spare Camp shirts?" Tsuna asked.

"Yep. But let's go back to the cabin and at least change clothes. And maybe shower." I said.

Tsuna didn't say anything while we walked back to the cabin. He was even silent as we walked to the showers. After we showered up we hung out in the cabin for a while. Tsuna admired his sword, but every now and then I would catch him glancing at me as if he wanted to say something. It was actually very awkward by the time dinner was starting.

"Percy, can I talk to you?" Tsuna asked as we were about leave.

"Of course." I said. "What about?"

"Tell me how you're invincible." He stated.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Because you're invulnerable." explained Tsuna. "But that doesn't mean immortal. And from what I have been told, even the gods can be hurt. And logically, your invulnerability, like any sort of power, must come with a price or a, a weakness, a way to make sure you are still able to be killed."

"So what do you want me to say?" I asked. "It sounds like you know the answer."

"I want to hear you say it." said Tsuna. "I want to hear it in my brother's words."

"Okay Tsuna." I said after a pause in our talk. "I swam in the River Styx. I have the Curse of Achilles."

"Achilles…" started Tsuna. His eyes darted around, probably searching his thoughts. "So what's _you're_ Heel?"

"I, I shouldn't tell you." I said, looking away from him. I didn't want him to think I don't trust him.

"You don't trust me…" Tsuna said. When he sounded like that it always felt like I was being stabbed in the heart.

"No, no, no, no, it's not that, it's just…" I didn't know how to explain myself. "It's just that-"

"Percy," Tsuna said with tears in his eyes, "You're my brother. I would never, _EVER_, do anything to hurt you. I want to protect you. You're my last li-living family in this world, and I want to be able to protect you. I don't want to be alone Percy! So please…tell me."

I couldn't believe it. I never knew Tsuna felt this way. But now that I stared into his eyes, I saw Tyson and Grover, Annabeth and Nico, and all of the people I care about. All the people I wanted to protect and will protect until I die. I pulled him into a hug and whispered where my Heel was, where my Mortal Spot was.

"Thank you Percy." He said. "I swear on the River Styx, that I will always do anything and everything in my power to keep you safe."

With a rumble of thunder his oath was sworn. Tsuna was willing to give his life for me. We pulled apart and walked to the Dining Pavilion. Campers stared at us as the two of use went to our table. As the Nymphs brought the food I caught the other Campers whispering about Tsuna.

"I can't believe Poseidon broke the oath twice." A child of Hermes said.

"Was Percy really the Child of Prophecy?" said a camper from the Apollo Cabin.

"Did he make the right choices?" said a camper from the Athena Cabin. Annabeth heard the camper and slapped him upside the head. That's my girlfriend for you.

After the Demeter Cabin scrapped their offerings into the hearth me and Tsuna stood up. I scrapped some of my food into the fire and saw a faint image of Hestia smiling at me. It was good seeing an immortal that doesn't want to roast me. I looked over at Tsuna and noticed that he barely put any food into the fire. He also was scowling. After the moment we shared, I didn't think he could be angry. We went back to the table and ate. Tsuna seemed to perk up during the campfire. He sat next to Nico so I could have some time with Annabeth.

"So how's he doing?" she asked as we roasted marshmallows.

"It's hard to say." I said. "One minute he's happy, and then he's so sad that it hurts me to look at him. With everything that's been happening to him lately I'm surprised he's not going crazy."

"Maybe because he's looking to you for strength." said Annabeth.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I don't know him as well as you do." She said. She intertwined her fingers with mine and leaned her head on my shoulder. "But it's the way he looks at you. I think that when he lost his mom that he started to make a stronger connection to you. You are his best friend. Then he was claimed by Poseidon and you two became brothers, that connection he made must have become stronger."

"He does seem protective of me." I said.

"Why is that?" Annabeth asked.

"It's nothing." I said. I shouldn't have said anything to Annabeth.

"Tell me." Annabeth said.

"No." I said, trying to think of something to say. "Say, how's the rebuilding of Olympus?"

"Don't change the subject." Annabeth demanded as she sat up. Uh oh, once Annabeth wants something there's no stopping her. "What did you do?"

"Nothing! Why do you think I always did something?" I asked.

"Because I know you Seaweed Brain." She said. "So tell me."

"Fine." I said. I leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "I told him my Mortal Spot."

"YOU DID WHAT?!" she yelled. The music stopped and the entire camp looked right at the two of us. "Sorry…"

"Did you really have to yell?" I said as the camp went back to the sing-a-long. I saw that Tsuna had gotten Nico to join in, although he was just saying the words quietly.

"Why did you tell him?" she asked.

"Because, he trusts me more than anyone." I said. "And….he's my brother."

"You're way too trusting." She said. "But if you trust Tsuna with this, then I guess I can too."

"Thanks Annabeth." I said. She leaned on my shoulder again and I kissed the top of her head.

When the camp fire was over I kissed Annabeth goodnight and walked back to the cabin. Tsuna was already there and was looking out the window. I got undressed and crawled into bed. He did the same and the lights went out. I fell asleep real quickly. I was even dreaming about me and Annabeth. We were sitting in our parents thrones. She was wearing a grey dress and she seemed to glow. I was wearing a blue toga with bronze armor that had scales designed into it. We stood up and walked to each other and as we were about to kiss I was thrown back to reality by a creaking noise.

As I opened my eyes I saw Tsuna leave the cabin. It was way past curfew and the Harpies would be patrolling for any stray camper to eat. I quickly got dressed and followed him. He was already way ahead of me. He was near the forest. I picked up my pace and was only a few yards behind him, that is, until he entered the forest. It was harder to follow him. The trees blocked out a lot of the moon light. I lost sight of him not long after we entered the forest. I tried looking for him for a while until I heard the screech of the Harpies. I knew Tsuna could take care of himself, so I ran back to the cabin. Not long after I got back into bed Tsuna snuck into the cabin and got into bed.

I acted like nothing happened the next morning. Tsuna didn't know that I followed him last night. But I knew that Tsuna was up to something. The way he tried to sneak away meant that he was hiding something. I need to find out what he was doing.


	6. Chapter VI Percy

** Sorry for the long wait. It's been hard to find time to write this story between work and school. But to make up for the wait, I'll be posting three chapters today. The other two should be up soon. In fact, that's how I'll post in this story from now on, by updating with the four chapters of a character's POV.**

**Please enjoy and review.**

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**Chapter VI Percy**

Like always, the weather in the Camp is perfect. It is a nice, bright sunny day and it was pretty warm even this early in the morning and the sunlight was shining through the windows. I've been up for the past hour trying to think of why Tsuna broke curfew last night and went into the woods. I know he knows that it's dangerous because Annabeth drilled it into his head same as she did with me. I'm worried about him, so I need to talk to him. But the question is how?

Tsuna is still asleep. He looked peaceful. My stomach growled loudly but it didn't wake up Tsuna. Since I was getting hungry, I got up and dressed. Stretching, I decided to talk to Tsuna after I had something to eat. Exiting the cabin I felt the warmth of the sun on my face. A lot of the campers were already up and heading to breakfast themselves. I looked for Annabeth or Nico but I couldn't find them. They must be at the Dining Pavilion already.

"Morning Annabeth." I said after I arrived. I had snuck up on her from behind and hugged her.

"Morning Seaweed Brain." She replied after she kissed my cheek. "How are you?"

"I've been better." I said.

"What's wrong?" Annabeth asked.

"I…just didn't get enough sleep, that's all." I said. Well, it was sort of the truth.

"I'm sorry to hear that." said Annabeth. She stood up and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"Maybe a kiss will help?" I said while I puckered my lips.

"Is that your impression of a fish?" she laughed as she leaned in and kissed me.

"Annabeth, please stop with the PDA." said Malcolm, Annabeth's half-brother. "You know how we all feel about it. Especially Chiron."

The kid is right sadly. With Chiron here the whole make out session is restricted to 'Not when I'm around' status. Annabeth pulled away with a face of disappointment. She flicked me on the nose and sent me off to my table. Along the way I stopped by the Hades Table. Nico was lying on the table, still mostly asleep. He was still wearing his aviator's jacket. I walked over to him and ruffled his hair. Nico jumped up startled, but he saw that it was me and slumped back onto the table.

"Mornin' Percy." Nico said.

"Did you not sleep well Neeks?" I asked.

"I was up all night." he said.

"Doing what?" I asked.

"I was making Tsuna a Mythomagic deck so he can last longer against me." Nico admitted.

"Why haven't you done that for me?" I wondered.

"I have." Nico said. "You're just not that good."

"Hey!" I said loudly. Nico didn't hear me though as he fell back asleep. Exhaling, I went to take off his jacket as it was too warm even this early in the morning for a black leather jacket. He didn't fight against me. Before I went to eat I laid his jacket next to him so he wouldn't freak out about losing it.

"Percy." Chiron said as he trotted over to my table as I was about to dig into my omelet. "There's someone here to see you."

"Who's that?" I asked. As I said that I was pulled into a very large, tight hug.

"Brother!" yelled my favorite Cyclops of a brother.

"Tyson!" I said as I tried to hug him back. He set me back down and sat at the table. "What are you doing here?"

"Daddy said I should visit you." Tyson said. He stared at me with his big brown eye. Nymphs brought him a plate of doughnuts and a jar of peanut butter while I sat and ate my breakfast

"Really? Dad sent you to see just me or our new brother?" I asked.

"We have a new brother?" Tyson asked.

"You didn't know?" I said curiously. He shook his head.

"What's he like?" he wondered.

"Oh… well he's…" I started. "He's brave, really brave, and he risked his life to protect Annabeth and Nico. He is also spirited in a way I guess…"

"And?" Tyson urged. That's when I saw Tsuna walking to our table in a sleepy daze. His eyes were mostly closed and his hair was a mess. He must have just got out of bed.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" I said, pointing at Tsuna.

"Hey Percy." Tsuna said. He yawned and sat down. The nymphs brought him eggs, sausage and a bowl of fruit.

"Morning." I said. "Tsuna, this is Tyson."

"Hi." Tsuna said with a small glance at Tyson. I didn't think he noticed Tyson being a Cyclops.

"Hi." Tyson said.

It took a few minutes for Tsuna to realize what Tyson is. When he realized, Tsuna yelled in surprise and jumped out of his seat. As if on instinct, his dragon sword appeared in his hand and he pointed it at Tyson. The whole Dining Pavilion went silent as they watched what was going on at our table. I jumped up and held Tsuna back.

"Tsuna calm down!" I yelled. "He's our brother!"

"Wha-?!" said Tsuna before he calmed down. His sword changed back into his ring. "O…kay then. Sorry about that. My name's Tsuna."

He offered Tyson his hand to shake it. Tyson grabbed it with his large hands and pulled Tsuna in a tight hug. Tsuna made some choking noises so Tyson set him down. Tsuna took deep breathes in, trying to get the air back in his lungs.

"Wow." Tsuna said. "You like to give big hugs, don't 'cha big guy."

"It nice to meet you brother." Tyson said.

Tsuna smiled and sat back down, so did me and Tyson. The other campers went back to eating their food and talking among themselves. Tyson asked Tsuna about a lot of things while we ate, like how he found out he was a son of Poseidon and how he and I met. Tsuna patiently answered all of Tyson's questions. Right before breakfast was over, Chiron made an announcement that tonight the Camp is to meet at the amphitheater and that the Apollo Cabin is putting on a show.

"Percy, Tsuna, I wish to talk to you two." Chiron said after his announcement. The two of us stood up and followed Chiron into his office in the Big House.

Chiron's office is pretty big, considering he walks around it in his Centaur form. There was a large book shelf with tons of books, some in languages that I couldn't understand. On one wall hung a large TV that was used for the camp's orientation film. I never got to see it, and honestly I'm curious as to what it's like. On his desk is a record player, like the ones from, like, the Thirties. Chiron usually keeps his record albums in a box on the floor. I had to listen to his taste in music before, and I can understand why the Stymphalian Birds died listening to it.

"What did you want to talk about Chiron?" I asked.

"This is something I should have done when Tsuna regained consciousness." Chiron said. "Please, tell me what happened with the monster you fought before you arrived at Camp."

"What exactly do you want to know?" asked Tsuna.

"Just tell me what happened." Chiron said. "And tell me what stood out to you about the monster."

"Okay." said Tsuna. "When I first arrived at Percy's school I bumped into an elderly Japanese janitor named Mr. Umo. I never realized that he was a monster, and neither did Percy."

"That's right." I said. "Mr. Umo was working at my school two weeks before Tsuna and I met."

"Then during the dance," continued Tsuna, "Percy and I were taken outside by Mr. Umo's kids. I thought it was weird that he had kids, but I never expected to be attacked by spider monsters. That's when I nearly ran into Tsuna's sword. He made me take Annabeth, who was frozen with fear because we were fighting spiders, away while he dealt with Mr. Umo's kids. Annabeth wanted to come back to save Percy, and so did I. But we found him glued to a tree and several piles of dust on the ground. When Annabeth was stuck to the ground, Mr. Umo revealed himself in his true form. He called himself Tsuchigumo."

"That's a Japanese demon." said Chiron.

"Which begs the question why are they after me?" asked Tsuna. "I have nothing to do with Japan. I'm just half-Japanese."

"So other than battle you, what did Tsuchigumo do?" Chiron wondered.

"He kept calling me, and Percy 'Umi no Musuko'." Tsuna said. "The Son of the Sea."

"So he knew this before you were claimed?" Chiron said. "Interesting."

"But what's bugging me more is how I can know what he said." Tsuna said. "He spoke in Japanese, but I understood it as easy as I know English despite never learning how to speak Japanese."

"And Ajari? Did he call you a Son of the Sea too?" Chiron asked.

"Yes he did." Tsuna said. "And he was able to break through the Camp's protections with a charm made out of bone, like this-"

峠

"It means Pass." Tsuna continued after he drew the symbol. "Ajari said that it was an amulet. It must have been part of some spell or something. He called himself a Daitengu."

"What's a Daitengu?" I asked.

"A powerful bird demon from Japan." explained Chiron. "In ancient times they were revered as lesser gods."

"God or demon, I don't care what he was." said Tsuna. "He attacked me and Nico. He nearly _killed_ Nico. If it wasn't for your intervention or my sword, Nico would be dead."

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that Tsuna." said Chiron. "But you were able to defeat him before he accomplished his goal."

"But what do they want with me?!" demanded Tsuna as he slammed his fist into Chiron's desk. Chiron went quiet for a few minutes.

"I can't say." said Chiron. "I only went to Japan once, during World War II. Ajari was the only…supernatural… being I encountered, that's why he called me 'old friend'. He was mysterious then as well. My only regret was not finishing him off back then."

"Hey Chiron," I said, just noticing we're missing one annoying wine god. "Where's Mr. D?"

"He went to Olympus." Chiron said. "He said needed to report to Lord Zeus about Poseidon claiming Tsuna."

"Is there a problem with me being Poseidon's son?" Tsuna asked.

"With Zeus there is." sighed Chiron.

"Why?" asked Tsuna. "It's not like I knew Poseidon was my dad. Plus, I didn't ask him to choose me. So what's the problem? So I'm Poseidon's son, what is that supposed to mean in the end?"

"Zeus, and many of the gods and campers, as you may have been over hearing lately, are worried because of the Last Great Prophecy."

"What prophecy?" Tsuna asked.

"A few weeks ago, there was a war Tsuna." I said. "There was a battle in Manhattan."

"Yea, Annabeth mentioned something about that." Tsuna said. "Something about gods against titans."

"It wasn't just something." Chiron said. "It was the war that decided the fate of human civilization. If the titans won, then everything we hold dear would have been destroyed."

"So, what does this have to do with me?" asked Tsuna.

"There was a prophecy." said Chiron. "It was foretold decades ago by our last Oracle. Percy, would you like to say it?"

"Sure Chiron." I said. I personally never wanted to hear the prophecy again, let alone speak it. But I said it anyways.

"_A Half-Blood of the eldest gods_,

_Shall reach sixteen against all odds_

_And see the world in endless sleep_

_The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap_

_A single choice shall end his days_

_Olympus to preserve or raze"_

"The Prophecy," Chiron said because Tsuna didn't understand, "that a child of one of the Big Three, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades will turn sixteen and make a choice that would either save or destroy Olympus. Percy was the first to turn sixteen, and he trusted Luke, who was hosting Kronos, with a knife that was used to stab himself in his Mortal Spot. Zeus wants to know if you would have made the same decision to trust Luke or not, as you are a few weeks older than Percy."

"What does it matter?" Tsuna asked after a few moments. "I was living comfortably on the other side of the country, away from all this insanity. Percy was here, he was claimed long before me and he saved the world. I think that Zeus just needs to get that stick out of his ass."

A very loud thunderclap shook the house. It was so loud and close that some of Chiron's pictures and trophies fell down. I saw that Tsuna was thrown from his chair and buried underneath a pile of books.

"I wouldn't talk about Lord Zeus like that Tsuna." said Chiron. "He's easily angered."

"Obviously." Tsuna said as he dug himself out.

"But despite you being claimed," started Chiron, "There is another reason why Zeus is so angry."

"What is it this time?" I asked.

"Our lord of the sky believes that another pantheon of gods is invading our land." said Chiron.

"There are other gods?" I asked. Tsuna gave me a look. "What?"

"Really?" Tsuna said. "Percy, the Greek Gods are just that- Greek. There have been many other pantheons of gods during human civilization. Even I know that. Like there's the Norse gods, led by Odin, and then there _the_ God."

"You believe that they exist?" I wondered.

"You and I are the sons of a sea god." said Tsuna. "That's all the proof I need."

"Well, we only had the most interactions with the Egyptian Gods." Chiron said. "But that's a story for another time."

"But what gods does Zeus think are invading?" I asked.

"He believes that it's the Shinto gods, as Ajari is from Japan." Chiron said. "But when I was there, I couldn't find a trace of any godly power."

"Well, isn't that good then?" I asked. "If you couldn't find any of the Shinto gods when you were there, then Zeus has no reason to be angry."

"Just because I couldn't find them doesn't mean they don't exist." explained Chiron. "It could simply be that they were masking they're presence or they were so weak and few in number that it was impossible for me to find them."

"What do you mean few in number?" Tsuna asked.

"Well, you know that gods are immortal, but can be hurt." said Chiron. "But if people stop having faith in them, then they can fade away. The same is true is a god loses the will to live."

Tsuna remained quiet for a little while. So did I. It was hard to believe that someone as powerful as a god could just stop existing. It made me scared for dad. He is the most powerful person I know, but the idea of him just not being there…I really didn't want to think about it.

"What about angels?" Tsuna asked.

"Pardon?" Chiron responded.

"Angels of the Lord, as in God." said Tsuna. "Y'know, the winged guardians of Heaven, or something like that. Have you met any?"

"I can't say that I have." Chiron said. "But if they do exist, they must have their reasons for not revealing themselves."

"Oh." Tsuna said as he sunk into his chair.

"Why do you want to know about angels?" I asked.

"No reason." Tsuna said. I could tell he was hiding something from me again, but I let it slide. I still needed to talk to him about last night.

"Alright." said Chiron. "You two go enjoy the rest of the day. I need to send a report to Olympus."

Tsuna and I stood up and left Chiron's office. As soon as we got outside we were hit with a wave of heat. We must have been in there longer than I thought. Tsuna started staring at the volleyball courts, which were empty for some reason. It was sometime before lunch so I figured that we should talk now.

"Hey Tsuna-" I started.

"Does Tyson like volleyball?" he interrupted.

"What?" I asked. "I think so, but Tsuna I ne-"

"Hey, let's get Nico and Annabeth for a game." Tsuna said. "It will be fun. Though we need one more person…"

He ran off before I got another word in. He was faster than I was, but I kept him in my sight. I followed him and stood at the doorway while he was talking to Annabeth. My girlfriend was busy in her cabin messing with Daedalus's laptop, trying to get some designs. He finished talking to her and rushed out of the Athena Cabin with just a 'Hey Percy.'

"He's in a hurry." Annabeth said as she closed the laptop. She went to grab some loose fitting clothes and pack some other clothes into a small bag.

"Yea he does." I said. "I don't know what's gotten into him."

"He just wants to have fun." Annabeth said. She kissed me on the cheek and pushed me out of the cabin.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I need to get changed." Annabeth said. "These clothes are comfortable for studying, but for playing volleyball they are too much trouble."

She shut the door as soon as I was outside. I didn't try to look for Tsuna again. Instead I went to the forges to find Tyson. As a Cyclops, Tyson loves the Forges. I guess I can understand. Like the children of Hephaestus, Tyson is a natural builder. It was the children of Hephaestus themselves who built the forges, with some designs from the children of Athena.

There are white marble columns lining walls stained with soot. Chimneys on the roof pump smoke over a gable with carvings of gods and monsters. Always, campers hear machinery working, fires crackling, and the sound of hammers against metal. Because it gets so hot, the forge is located at the edge of a stream, just south of the lake, with waterwheels spinning bronze gears.

I knocked on the door and Jake Mason, the current counselor of the Hephaestus Cabin, opened the door. I asked him if Tyson was in, and Jake said he was, but he was working a project. He went to go get Tyson and when my brother came out he was covered in soot and grime.

"Percy!" yelled Tyson. "What are you doing?"

"Uh, Tsuna wanted to play volleyball and asked if you wanted to play." I said. "do you want to? If you're busy we can find another person."

"No, I'll play." Tyson said. "Let me go put away my project."

I had to only wait for a minute after Tyson went back inside. He was rubbing his hands on a spare towel, getting as much grease off as he could. We walked to the volleyball fields and when we arrived Tsuna was already there with Annabeth, Nico, and Clarisse strangely.

Annabeth was wearing a pair of gym shorts with a Camp shirt with the sleeves cut off and had her hair tied up into a pony tail. Clarisse had taken off her camo-jacket, revealing her buff arms and Camp shirt with the sleeves ripped off. Her boyfriend Chris Rodriguez sat on the sidelines, ready to watch the match.

What really surprised me was what Nico was wearing. He wasn't in his normal all black clothes, and he was separated from his aviator's jacket. He was wearing an Orange camp shirt for first time since he was first brought here a few years ago. And instead of his black jeans he was wearing a pair of light brown khaki shorts that looked a bit big on him, but they were tied by his black belt.

"Wow Nico, what made you dress in color?" I asked as me and Tyson walked up.

"Shut up." Nico said.

"I was very persuasive." Tsuna said. "I told him that I wouldn't play Mythomagic with him unless he actually wore more athletic clothing for this."

"That's all it took?" I asked.

"Come on!" Clarisse said before anybody else said anything. "Are we going to play or what?"

"Yea we are." said Tsuna. "But we need teams. I call being captain for one team."

"Go on Percy, be the other captain." Clarisse said as she pushed me forward. "We can't have the two of you on the same side for everything."

"Alright." I said. "You wanna pick first?"

"Sure." Tsuna said. "Nico, you're on my team."

"Really?" he asked with a bit of excitement. I realized that wasn't really picked for anything, or even if he remembers being picked for anything before his memories were washed away.

"Of course." Tsuna said with a smile as he rubbed Nico's head. "Your turn Perce."

"'Kay." I said. "Annabeth."

"Of course you'd pick me first Seaweed Brain." laughed Annabeth as she walked over to my side.

"Tys-." Tsuna started to say, but Clarisse gave him a look. "Clarisse."

"Good idea short stuff." Clarisse as she walked over.

"Guess you're with me and Annabeth big guy." I said as Tyson came over to us.

"Yay!" screamed Tyson. "I get to play with Percy."

"Aw, don't hurt my feelings Tyson." Tsuna said with a smile.

We began our Volleyball tournament and it was really fun. While Clarisse took charge on Tsuna's side, my team had Tyson. He was just as tall as the net itself, so when the ball came to him he always got a spike. Chris called out saying that it wasn't fair, but one look from Clarisse told him to be quiet.

Even Nico was enjoying himself. He was smiling and while he missed the ball a few times he was doing a good job. It was good seeing him have fun with something other than his card game or training. I really wished I had a camera so I could send a picture to Mom. She loves him and worries about Nico more than she does me, so a picture of Nico would make her happy.

As we played several other campers came to watch, even the Aphrodite Cabin. It was getting hotter as we played and we were all drenched in sweat. Tsuna got so hot that he took off his shirt and tossed it to the side. All the girls that were watching gasped and the girls from the Aphrodite Cabin swooned, even that gods awful Drew Tanaka.

We played a total of six games. Tsuna's team won twice while mine won four times. It was really fun and our little audience applauded us when we were done. The six of us were drenched in sweat. Nico, being the palest of the six of us, was really red so Tsuna quickly led him into the showers so he could get out of the sun. I joined them not long after with Tyson.

Later that night, after we showered and ate dinner, the entire camp walked to the amphitheater. It was designed to be a smaller version of the amphitheater in Epidaurus in Greece1. The five of us (me, Tsuna, Annabeth, Nico, and Tyson sat together in the middle of the seating area. Tyson sat between me and Tsuna, who was next to Nico. As we sat down I saw that Eric was sitting right behind Tsuna and was glaring at him.

The Apollo Cabin really knows how to put on a show2. With their inherited skills they were naturally musically talented, able to play any instrument. They also performed a few plays and sang and danced. We watched them for about two hours. When it got dark and the performance was nearly over, the leader of the Apollo Cabin Will Solace spoke out.

"So before we end for the night," started Will, "We would like to have a volunteer come down and do anything to close out for the night. It can be a series of jokes, playing an instrument, or even telling us a story. So, anyone want to try?"

Nobody raised their hand. I don't think anybody wanted to go down there and embarrass themselves. But someone likes to embarrass other people, this someone being Eric. He grabbed Tsuna's wrist and raised it in the air. Tsuna pulled away, but it was too late.

"Looks like we have a volunteer!" yelled Will happily. "Tsuna, come on down!"

"No, no, no, I don't-" Tsuna tried to say, but he was drowned out by cheers and applause. He exhaled out of frustration and walked down to the stage, but not before he glared at Eric for volunteering him.

"So Tsuna, what are you going to do for us tonight?" Will asked.

"I'm not sure." Tsuna said as he glared at Eric again. I looked back at Eric and saw that he was smirking. "I didn't expect to perform anything tonight."

"Sing something Tsuna!" yelled Nico.

"Tsuna can sing?" I asked. This was the first I heard about it.

"Sing! Sing! Sing!" chanted the audience. "Sing!"

"Dammit. I'm going to kill you Nico." Tsuna muttered under his breath.

"I bet he can't sing worth a damn." Eric said, loud enough for Tsuna to hear. Tsuna gave Eric a look that clearly said 'challenge accepted.'

"Oh, it is on." Tsuna said. He took a minute to think of a song. "Well, here goes nothing. Just so you all know, this will be sung a cappella.3

When you're alone, silence is all you know.

When you're alone, silence is all you know

Let in the noise and let it grow.

When you're alone, silence is all you see

When you're alone, silence is all you'll be

Give me your hand and come to me.

When you are here, music is all around.

When you are near, music is all around.

Open your eyes, don't make a sound.

Let in the shadow, let in the shadow,

Let in the light of your bright shadow.

Let in the shadow, let in the shadow.

Let in the light of your bright shadow.

Let in the light.

Let in the light.

Let in the light of your sweet shadow.

When you're alone, oh,

Silence is all you know.

Silence is all,

Silence is all around.

Silence is all

Silence is all around."

Tsuna's song was beautiful. I mean, he started off shaky, but as he got into it he started to sound a lot better. He was so into it that he started tearing up. He wasn't the only one. Annabeth and even Clarisse had tears in their eyes. The entire Camp stood up and clapped and cheered for Tsuna. Well, the entire Camp except Eric. He stayed sitting and pouted. Tsuna saw this and gave him a smug smile which was quickly replaced by a small frown. I ran down to him to see what was wrong, but he was crowded by other campers. When he got out of his little mob he looked normal.

"Where did that come from?" I asked him.

"The song or me singing?" Tsuna wondered. He spoke again before I could clarify. "It's just a song that I like. Mom liked it a lot too."

We all went to bed after Tsuna's performance. I remembered that Tsuna snuck out last night, so I crawled into bed and pretended to be asleep. About an hour later Tsuna got out of bed and put on a pair of shorts and his shoes. As he walked out he looked over at me, making sure I was asleep. I gave off a fake snore that sounded real enough, and Tsuna bought it.

I gave him a minute before I got out of bed myself. As I got my shoes on and made sure Riptide was in my pocket, I checked to make sure Tyson was asleep. He was snoring loudly. I laughed to myself because I should have known that the only thing that would wake him up was breakfast. When I left the cabin I saw Tsuna near the forest. I jogged after him and stayed far enough away so that he couldn't hear me.

Tsuna walked all the way to the Sound. He took of his shoes and walked on the beach, up to the water. I sat on the ground that was still covered by the forest as the beach was too open. Tsuna sat down himself and let the waves touch his feet. He remained quiet for several minutes.

"Why haven't you answered my prayers dad?" Tsuna said, breaking the silence. "I want to talk to you. Please, come here."

I watched Tsuna wait for something, but nothing happened. I was hoping dad would have. Tsuna needed to meet him.

"At least send me a sign to let me know you are at least listening father." said Tsuna. Again nothing happened. Tsuna stood up quickly and walked up to his knees in the ocean water. "SHOW YOURSELF GOD DAMMIT! I am your son, just like Percy and Tyson! I deserve to know why you didn't save Mom! You're the god of the sea, and she died in your domain! You could have saved her! If you truly loved her, you would have done something!"

In a fit of anger Tsuna's dragon sword appeared in his hand. He began to swing his sword, banging and slicing the water, as if it would actually hurt dad. It hurt me to watch him do this. He walked a bit farther out and slipped on something. He fell face first and got a mouthful of seawater. He stood back up and spat out the water.

"I HATE YOU!" Tsuna screamed. When he screamed the entire area shook violently. He then collapsed to his knees and began to cry. I felt bad for Tsuna. I wanted to go comfort him. As I got up I stepped on a stick which cracked under my foot. Tsuna heard it and quickly stood up and pointed his sword in my direction. "Who's there?!"

I was about to come out of the woods when I noticed something. We had a full moon tonight and its light fell on everything. Tsuna looked different being bathed in the moonlight. The closest word I could use to describe him I guess would be…regal.

"*exhale* Whoever you are, go back to your cabin." Tsuna said. "I want to be alone."

I thought about saying something, but I decided not to. This wasn't the right time to talk to Tsuna. He's too sensitive at the moment. Tomorrow morning he and I are going to have a talk, no matter what. I got back to the cabin in a few minutes and sunk into bed.

"_Has he been feeling this way ever since he's been at camp?_" I thought.

It didn't take long for Tsuna to come back to the Cabin. He made sure to not wake Tyson or me. Before he walked to his bunk, he stopped and looked at me. I pretended to be asleep again. He bought it and went to sleep himself.

* * *

**1. Here's a picture of what the theater looks like today, just follow the link to Wikipedia: wiki/File:2007-05-10_Epidauros,_Greece_ **

**2. If you want to listen to a short Ancient Greek song while you listen at this part, go to youtube with this link. Make sure to skip to 00:23. :** ** watch?v=9RjBePQV4xE**

**3. If no one recognizes the song, its entitled Abigail's Song-Silence is all You Know. You can find it on Youtube here: watch?v=spyF7ZoLB48**


	7. Chapter VII Percy

**Please enjoy and review.**

* * *

**Chapter VII Percy**

I was up early again today. I made sure to get up before Tsuna did. It was so early that the sun was just rising, bathing the entire camp in a golden light. I was sitting on the dock that sat on the Sound. I looked out to the sea, praying to dad.

"Dad, I need your help." I said. "I don't know how I should talk to Tsuna about last night. You should have come when he asked to see you. He needs to talk to his father."

Nothing. Not even a sign. All I heard was the sound of waves hitting the beach.

"Dad, please answer me, or come talk to Tsuna." I begged. "I don't want him to hate you. Hate is what started the war."

There still was no response from dad. I understood how Tsuna felt, but hating dad is too much. I stared at the ocean for a long time. The sun was higher in the sky. My stomach growled, so I stood up and went to breakfast. As I walked I saw several campers. I heard them talking about the shaking last night. I wasn't sure if I should have told Chiron that the shaking happened at the same time Tsuna got angry last night. There was also the time when we found out Donna passed away when Tsuna screamed at the church guy and my apartment shook.

Tsuna and Tyson were already at the Poseidon Table when I got there. Tyson was eating his meal, which consisted of a lot of peanut butter. He was even sneaking food from Tsuna's plate. But it's not like Tsuna noticed. He was more or less still asleep. He was sleepily enjoying his food. I sat at the table and nibbled on my breakfast. I stared at him while thinking on how I should talk to him.

After breakfast Tyson went straight to the forges to continue his project. I had to be sure to ask him what he was building later. Tsuna and I were with Annabeth who was giving us a lesson on Ancient Greek. Nico joined us, as he said being with us would make it more enjoyable. After Ancient Greek the four of us went to the strawberry fields and picked the ripe fruit.

It was at lunch when I plucked up the courage to talk to Tsuna. We were in the middle of eating. Tsuna made Nico come sit with us, despite the rules. It was okay I guess, since Chiron was somewhere else. And I did like it that Nico wasn't eating by himself. But I was going to talk to Tsuna alone no matter what.

"Tsuna, can I talk to you?" I asked.

"Yea, sure." He responded. He continued eating.

"In private." I said, glancing at Nico. Tsuna looked at me with his fork right in front of his mouth.

"Now?" Tsuna asked.

"Please." I said as I stood up.

Tsuna looked at his food and back to me. With a sigh he also stood up and told Nico he'll see him later. We walked to forest, away from the rest of the campers. We were so far in the forest that the only people who could have overheard us were the Dryads. After I was sure we were far enough away, we stopped walking.

"So Perce," Tsuna said as he leaned against a tree, "What's up?"

"Tsuna," I said after taking a big breath, "You can't hate dad."

"That was _you_ last night?!" Tsuna said with a scowl. His eyes changed color from sea green to dark grey. "You followed me?!"

"You can't go out at night, especially by yourself!" I yelled. "For one thing, the Harpies will eat you!"

"They haven't gotten to me yet." Tsuna countered.

"Then there's Chiron." I said. "Tsuna, you'll get into trouble if he catches you."

"Oh, why do you care Percy?!" Tsuna screamed. "Ever since I've been here I never felt more alone!"

"What do you mean?" I asked. I was shocked to hear him say this. He seemed really happy when he was with Nico or Tyson or Annabeth.

"Percy, you're my brother, and I'll admit that it's possibly the greatest thing to ever happen to me in my life," started Tsuna, "But it's not the same as being with my mom. She died at sea, in dad's territory! Do you really know how much this is killing me?! He could have saved her! He could have done something."

"I know how you feel Tsuna." I said after he started crying. When I said that he glared at me.

"No you don't!" he yelled. "I know what happened with Sally. Annabeth told me. Hades only captured her; he didn't cause her to die. _My_ mom, she was at sea, where Poseidon has the most power. He could have saved her if he truly loved her like she said he did!"

"Tsuna…" I said as I put my hands on his shoulders.

"Don't touch me." He said as he threw my arms off of him and pushed me away. He walked away from me. "Just leave me alone. Please."

"No I-" I started to say as I walked closer to him.

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!" Tsuna screamed, which was followed by another small earthquake. His sword appeared in his hand and he pointed it right at me. The look he gave me made me forget that I was invulnerable. I raised my hands and backed off slightly. He soon realized that he was threatening me with his sword, so he lowered it and looked away. "I'm sorry."

"Tsuna!" I yelled as he ran deeper into the forest.

I ran after him. For over an hour I looked for him. I was scared for whatever Tsuna was going to do. I have never seen anybody so angry. I wasn't able to find him, so I ran back to camp and went to find help. I found Annabeth and Nico near the armory. They were polishing the weapons and armor, which Tsuna and I were supposed to be helping with.

"There you are Percy!" Annabeth said. She had a bit of polish in her cheek. "Do you know how long we've been at this? We could be done by now if you and Tsuna were helping us."

"Annabeth, there's-" I started to say.

"Where's Tsuna?" Nico asked.

"I don't know." I said. I was breathing heavily and I guess I looked distraught.

"Is there something wrong?" Nico asked.

"Did something happen?" Annabeth asked.

"We- we were just talking." I said. "But he got angry and he raised his sword against me. But when he realized, he ran away. I tried following him but, but-"

"Percy it's alright." Annabeth said. "We'll find him. Come on Nico."

But Nico was already up and running into the forest. I just realized how close those two have gotten. Tsuna seemed to make Nico come out of his shell more, and Nico seemed to look up to Tsuna like a brother. I would feel a bit jealous if I wasn't worried about Tsuna. Annabeth grabbed my hand and dragged me away from the forest.

"Annabeth, the forest is over there!" I yelled.

"Nico's got the ground covered." Annabeth said. "We'll take to the sky."

"The sky?" I asked. I didn't know what she meant.

In the distance I saw the stables, where we kept the horses and…the Pegasi! That's what Annabeth meant by taking to the sky. As we ran inside we bumped into several children of Aphrodite. Annabeth apologized for me, but I went straight for my reliable black Pegasus.

"Yo Boss!" cried out Blackjack with glee. "You ready for a ride?"

"This isn't for fun Blackjack." I said as I led him out of the stables. "My brother is missing!

"What?!" whinnied Blackjack. "Why didn't you just say so?! Hop on! Porkpie get out here and help the Boss's girlfriend!"

Porkpie, a white Pegasus, got out of his stall and trotted outside. Annabeth climbed atop of him and he flew to the sky. I got on Blackjack and he did the same. We were flying around the forest for a while. We surveyed it separately. After thirty minutes Annabeth and I regrouped.

"Please Dad, Apollo…gods, even Hades, let him be okay." I prayed as I was sweating with grief."

"Percy it will be alright." Annabeth said. "We'll find him."

"You should have seen him Annabeth." I said. "He was so angry. And when he realized he had his sword pointed at me… I just don't want to see him get hurt."

We flew some more. I wasn't able to find Tsuna; the trees were blocking my view. I hoped Nico was having an easier time than we were. As I was thinking of where Tsuna could be hiding Annabeth said something.

"Over there!" Annabeth said as she pointed towards a clearing. "I think I see something!"

I looked over to where she was pointing and I saw someone moving around. I grew excited and made Blackjack dive straight down, just a short distance away from the clearing. Annabeth did the same thing and we snuck closer. Standing in the middle of the clearing was Tsuna, and there was no sign of Nico.

Tsuna had his sword in his hand and was looking at it. His body was shaking and he was breathing heavily and very fast. He was muttering something, but I could only make out a few words.

"Mom… I'm sorry." Were the only words that I could catch Tsuna saying.

Slowly, Tsuna raised his sword so he was looking right at the blade. I heard his breathing become faster. Then he angled it so the tip was pointed at his heart and he grabbed the handle with both hands. He extended his arms as far out as possible.

"By the gods!" Annabeth gasped.

"What?!" I begged. "What is he doing?!"

"He's going to kill himself!" She yelled.

"No!" I screamed as I ran to Tsuna.

Time seemed to slow down for me. It felt like it was taking longer than it should to reach Tsuna. That's when he screamed. Tsuna went to stab himself through the heart. But he stopped. He tried again, but he wasn't able to do it. So he angrily threw his sword away and it embedded itself halfway through large stone. Then he broke down crying and fell to his knees. I stood still, not sure what to do. Annabeth walked to me, but she didn't say anything. Tsuna then stopped crying and stood up.

"I know it's you two." He said as he wiped his eyes. He walked over to the rock and pulled his sword out smoothly. As we walked closer to him his sword returned to being a ring.

"Tsuna…" Annabeth asked. "Why?"

"I-I don't know." He said. This made me angry. So I walked to him and punched him in the jaw as hard as I could. Then I grabbed him by the color of his shirt and forced him against a tree.

"Don't you dare do that again!" I yelled in his face. "Do you really think that all your pain would go away if you killed yourself?! Didn't you ever consider that I wouldn't go to the Underworld myself and drag your sorry ass back here?! You will never do pull this stunt again, you got that?! I mean, what would Donna say if she knew what you were about to do?"

"She would be doing the exact same thing you're doing." Tsuna admitted. Tears fell down his face again, so I pulled him into a hug.

"You're so grounded." I said. He slowly hugged me back.

"Hmph." Tsuna said. I felt him smile. "We'll see."

We separated and Annabeth hugged him herself. Then we walked back to Blackjack and Porkpie. The two Pegasi whinnied in excitement, especially Blackjack.

"Boss, you found your brother!" yelled Blackjack. ""How is he? I heard some yelling a little bit ago."

"Why don't you ask him yourself Blackjack?" I asked.

"Okay!" Blackjack said excitedly. "How you feeling Boss's brother?"

Tsuna just stared at Blackjack. Did he even understand Blackjack? Blackjack repeated the question, but Tsuna still didn't understand.

"Why is the horse making noises?" Tsuna asked.

"You can't understand him?" I wondered.

"No." Tsuna said with a 'are you insane' look. "Wait, are you telling me you can speak to horses?"

"It's a skill that all sons of Poseidon have." Annabeth said. "You should have that ability too."

"Guess I didn't inherit everything." Tsuna said with a shrug.

He walked over to Blackjack and petted his muzzle. Patting his side he climbed up. I was going to say that no one rides Blackjack but me, but Annabeth pulled me to Porkpie. The two of us climbed on and we all flew back to the stables. Nico was there waiting for us and I could tell he was sad but he perked up when he saw that Tsuna was with us.

"Tsuna, are you alright?!" said Nico as he ran up to meet us after we landed.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Tsuna said with a not. Nico looked at him and then to me and Annabeth, like he knew what Tsuna was about to do.

"Percy…" said Annabeth after she pulled me to the side. We were walking back to the Cabins to get some rest. "You need to report this."

"I know, but I can't." I admitted. I was watching Tsuna talking happily to Nico, as if his suicidal attempt didn't happen. "He's clearly not crazy, so Mr. D can't help, even if he was here. And Chiron isn't here to be a psychiatrist. I think he and I just need to talk."

"But the two of you have been talking." Annabeth said, standing in front of me. "He obviously needs help."

"Stop talking behind my back Wise Girl." Tsuna said. He and Nico had stopped walking. Tsuna walked up to Annabeth as he spoke. "I'm not crazy and I don't need help. I was just…weighing my options. But I obviously couldn't do it. So please, just drop it."

Annabeth looked away from Tsuna, probably out of anger or guilt. We had free time the rest of the day, so we hung out in the Poseidon Cabin. Tsuna and Nico were playing Mythomagic on Tsuna's bed while Annabeth laid in mine with me. We were holding. Tsuna saw us and told Nico that they should finish their game in his cabin. Nico agreed and they gathered up their stuff. As Nico was leaving, I stopped him.

"Nico." I said.

"Yes?" Nico asked.

"Could you…" I started, "Could you, uh, talk to him, or at least keep an eye on Tsuna?"

"Uh, yea I can do that…I guess." Nico said.

"Thanks." I said as he left.

Annabeth buried herself deeper into my arms. I'll have to admit, this is really comfortable. We were sharing our warmth and I was starting to fall asleep. Annabeth was feeling the same. I closed my eyes and the next thing I knew was that there was a loud knock on the door.

"Percy?" said Tyson. "Are you in here?"

"Yea dude, I'm here." I said as I woke up.

I sat up and stretched. Annabeth was stirred awake. I looked at her and smiled, and she smiled back. We leaned in to kiss when Tyson entered. He made a childish gagging noise. I felt my face turn red.

"Um, Tsuna asked me to get you for dinner." Tyson said.

"Dinner?" Annabeth said. "How long have we been asleep?"

"A couple of hours I guess." I said. I got out of bed and stretched again. Annabeth came around and hugged me from behind. I smiled, but I heard the door close. I guess Tyson left. "Come on. I'm starving."

"Figures." Annabeth said.

We held hands as we walked with Tyson to the Dining Pavilion. We separated and went to our own tables. I saw that Tsuna looked a bit better, but his eyes were slightly bloodshot. I waved to Nico as I passed. Our food was brought to us and we scrapped it into the hearth, Tsuna begrudgingly. All the campers were talking loudly. The Hephaestus Cabin was talking about their projects, the Aphrodite Cabin talked about make-up and fashion, and other stuff like that. Chiron stood up halfway through the meal and clicked his hooves against the marble, getting everyone's attention.

"Heroes!" bellowed Chiron. "I have a good announcement! Tomorrow at noon our new Oracle, Miss Rachael Elizabeth Dare is to come to the Camp for a week."

Several of the campers cheered in excitement. They were hoping to receive a quest, which can only be given by an Oracle. At the mention of Rachael's name, I felt my face burn. I looked over at Annabeth and she was staring at me, making my face burn more.

"By the way your face is turning red," Tsuna started, "And the way Annabeth is glaring at you, I guess that Rachael is an old love interest of yours."

"Shut up." I said embarrassed. Tsuna laughed.

I wonder why Rachael is coming to camp in the middle of a school year. She goes to an all-girl prep school as a promise to her dad. I guess she has a vacation coming up. But…could she have had a vision of something terrible? Ever since she became one with the Spirit of Delphi, she has told me how she has had trouble with visions. With my luck that's why she's coming. Guess I have to find out tomorrow.


	8. Chapter VIII Percy

**Please enjoy and Review**

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**Chapter VIII Percy**

I was really anxious having Rachael coming. She and I had a, well I guess you could call it a thing. We spent a lot of time together before the war and we grew close. I never noticed how she felt about me until the day Beckendorf picked me up on Blackjack for our assault on…the point is Rachael and me have a connection. We would spend a lot of time when I was away from camp. It was nice having someone to talk to and be normal with. But when she admitted her feelings, I felt like one of Apollo's sacred cows. That is, dumb, slow, and bright red. But even then she kissed me.

I think Annabeth noticed something between me and Rachael. That's why she always gave me a look when Rachael was brought up. She shouldn't be jealous, because Rachael is the Oracle and Oracles can't date. Besides, Rachael broke up with me, though I don't know how that works since we weren't going out in the first place. But I was still nervous. So nervous in fact that I was pacing the cabin.

"Can you sit still?" Tsuna asked after getting dressed. "You have been doing that for an hour."

"Sorry." I said, turning red again. Tsuna's been cracking jokes at my expense since last night.

"Why're you getting so embarrassed Percy?" asked Tsuna. "I believe you when you said the two of you never dated. The jokes are just for my entertainment."

"Well, we…sort of…had…a…thing." I admitted.

"Ha ha ha." Tsuna laughed. "That's not what I've been told."

"Who told you what?" I demanded.

"Nico." Tsuna said nonchalantly. "Oh, and Clarisse, and Connor, Travis, Malcolm, Will…"

"Okay I get it." I said with my face burning again.

"Don't get embarrassed dude." Tsuna chuckled. "I'm just having fun. Come one, we're going to be late for Chiron's Archery class with the Apollo Cabin."

"Nico's not joining us?" I asked as we walked out into the sunny day.

"Nah." Tsuna said. "Apparently, he's been missing his Ancient Greek lessons. We were in the middle of a conversation when Annabeth burst into his cabin, grabbed Nico by the ear, and dragged him to her cabin to catch up. Before he was out of the cabin, he looked to me for help. I pretended not to notice. Just a little payback for making me sing the other night."

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !" I laughed.

We walked to the archery field, which is located between the Arts and Crafts building and the Amphitheater. It is a large open field that had ten targets spaced far enough apart so campers don't shoot each other. That didn't help my first few weeks at it though. I nearly shot everyone. It wasn't a pretty sight, but thankfully with Chiron teaching the class nobody got hurt. The Apollo Cabin was already there and getting a few practice shot in, even though they really didn't need it. That jerk Eric was here as well. He was glaring at Tsuna as the two of us walked passed.

"Gods, what is his problem?" Tsuna asked. "He's been staring at me like that since I got here."

"My guess?" I said. "He's probably just angry that you stopped him from bullying Casey."

"Well he needs to stop it. It's creepy." Tsuna said. As we were walking a small boy with the blue eyes and golden blonde hair that all children of Apollo have ran up to them. "Speaking of Casey…"

"Hi guys!" said Casey. "Are you ready to shoot some arrows?"

"Yea, but I don't know how good we're going to be." I said. "If Tsuna's like me, than he's just as bad with archery as I am."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Perce." Tsuna said.

"Casey, where are you?" asked Will Solace, the counselor of the Apollo Cabin. He looked at us and walked over. "There you are. What are you doing?"

"I was thanking Percy and Tsuna for the other day." said Casey.

"That's good." Will said. "Hey Percy. Tsuna."

"Hi Will." Tsuna and I said.

"Casey, why don't you go be Victoria's partner today?" Will suggested. "I need to talk to Percy and Tsuna."

"Okay!" smiled Casey. "See you guys later!"

"See ya Casey." waved Tsuna.

"Thanks for standing up to Eric for Casey guys." Will said. "I didn't know that he was bullying his siblings. I want you to know that he has been punished by Chiron and received the natural Apollo Cabin punishment."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"You don't want to know." Will said. Chiron came trotting onto the field. "See you guys later. And thanks again!"

"Don't mention it." Tsuna said.

"Good morning heroes!" said a cheery Chiron. "I hope you're already to practice your archery talents. Today will be like any other practice session, but I will be observing on how you have progressed since you have been at Camp and giving you a few pointers if you need it."

Chiron glanced at me and Tsuna on that last part. I can't say I blame him. Archery isn't where my skills lie. He sent the two us to the target that is the farthest away from anybody else. He's overly worried that we're going to shoot someone with arrows. I'm not _that_ bad; Chiron even said I was improving on my last progress report. But we did what he wanted. The only bad thing about it was that Eric was at the target closest to us.

I'll say it again: I am not good at Archery. But with Tsuna with me doing just as bad, maybe even a tiny bit better, I had a lot of fun. Our arrows flew past the target, but at least they stayed away from the others. Tsuna was able to get three arrows in the target, but they were as far away from the center as they could get. We were so bad that we were laughing at ourselves.

"They're making a mockery of archery!" I heard Eric say. I ignored him because I was having too much fun.

We shot arrows for about an hour and a half. At the end of the lesson Chiron congratulated us all. He even told Tsuna and me did better than he expected but we need more practice. We just laughed it off.

"Well that could have gone better." I said while we picked up our arrows. The rest of the Apollo Cabin had picked up their supplies and left the Archery field, all except Eric.

"It was fun though." Tsuna said. He was standing in front of me. "But I guess shooting arrows isn't a skill sons of Poseidon have."

I heard Eric muttering behind me. I ignored him and continued talking to Tsuna. But then I heard a bow string being pulled and Tsuna got a look of fear on his face. His sword appeared in his hand and he pushed me out of the way. I was knocked to the ground and when I looked up I saw Tsuna slice an arrow in half. The arrow halves flew past him. Looking at where the arrow came from, I saw that Eric was standing still with his bow still pointed at us and looked terrified. He turned around and ran as fast as he could towards his cabin.

"Eric!" I yelled as I stood up. I began to run after him but Tsuna stopped me.

"Don't Percy." Tsuna calmly said.

"But he shot an arrow at me!" I yelled. Tsuna slapped me upside the head. "Ow!"

"Helllloooo!" Tsuna said. "You're invincible! The arrow wouldn't have scratched you. It was meant for me."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Because I'm protective of my family." explained Tsuna. "I just jumped into action without thinking, despite knowing of the Curse of Achilles. Besides, the fear that will follow him, knowing that he pissed off two sons of Poseidon is much better than any revenge or prank we can think of."

"If you say so…" I said.

We walked back to the cabins to rest up before lunch. I quickly remembered that Rachael was coming today. As if Tsuna could read my mind, he started to walk to the Hades Cabin.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm going to see is Nico is done with his lesson." Tsuna said. "I want another go at Mythomagic. I almost beat him with that deck he made me. I'll see you at lunch, 'k Percy?"

"Yea sure." I said. "I was just going to, uh, rest before Rachael comes."

"You're gonna hide from Annabeth, aren't you?" Tsuna asked.

"No I… What I mean is… Shut up." I said.

"Whatever." I said. "Oh, and the cabin is the first place Annabeth would look, so head to the Forges or something."

"Good idea." I said. "See ya."

"See ya." He waved good bye. I began walking to the Forges when I saw Annabeth in the distance.

"Tsuna you set me up." I said with gritted teeth.

"There you are Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said. "I've been looking for you."

"Why?" I asked. She hooked her arm with mine and she led me to Half-Blood Hill.

"I want to greet Rachael when she gets here." She said. "She's gonna be here any minute."

I tried to think of ways to get out of it, but even if I could, Rachael would find ways to torture me for not greeting her. I sighed and just let Annabeth lead me away. As we walked up the hill I saw Thalia's Pine. Peleus the dragon slept under the tree's shadow. By the time we reached the top of the hill Rachael was dragging her large suitcases up. She reached the top and tripped. I caught her in my arms and when we stared at each other our faces turned bright red.

"Hey." Rachael said. Like always she had some paint splattered in her.

"Hey." I said. We still stared at each other for several moments until Annabeth spoke up.

"How are you Rachael?" Annabeth asked, breaking me out of this trance.

"I'm fine." She said as she stood up. "The school I go to isn't that bad. They have a good art program so at least it's the best out of this situation. Here Percy, carry my stuff down."

"What's in here?" I asked when we were at the foot of the hill. "These are heavy."

"One's for clothes." Rachael explained. "The other is my art stuff."

"Great…" I said as I lugged her suitcases.

"So Percy, what has been going on with you?" Rachael asked.

"Actually, I have a new brother." I said, then she hit me upside the head." Ow! Is it 'Hit Percy Upside the Head Day'?!"

"Why didn't you call me?!" Rachael demanded to know.

"I've been busy lately!" I yelled at her.

Chiron greeted us as we got to the Big House. Since Apollo's idea of a cave 'pad' for Rachael won't be completed for a while, she stays at the Big House in a spare room. After we dropped her stuff off, we went to lunch. Rachael admired the camp as we walked. She was still getting used to whole 'gods are real' thing. Several campers waved at us as we walked by and introduced themselves to Rachael, hoping for a prophecy so they can go on a quest.

Nothing happened Oracle-wise with Rachael, so the campers went to the Dining Pavilion themselves. When we got there I saw Tsuna playing Mythomagic with Nico. Tyson was there eating while he watched Tsuna and Nico play. Nico had his back to me, but from the way he was sitting he looked like he was concentrating really hard. Tsuna was smiling, maybe he was winning, but I couldn't tell. Tsuna saw us and waved. I waved back and led Rachael to meet Tsuna. Rachael grabbed her head as if she had a headache but she said she was fine.

"Hey Percy." Tsuna said.

"Hey guys." I said. "Nico, Tyson, you remember Rachael right?"

"Hi pretty lady." Tyson said with a mouthful of peanut butter.

"Can't talk, trying to beat Tsuna." Nico said, concentrating of the card game.

"Tsuna, this is Rachael Elizabeth Dare, our camp Oracle." I said.

"Hi, how are you?" asked Rachael as she extended her hand.

"Nice to meet you Rachael." Tsuna said. He stood up and took her hand. "My name's Tsunayoshi Noble. Just call me Tsuna. Are you okay?"

"Yea, I-I need to sit down." Rachael said as she grabbed her head. "My head is pounding."

She nearly fell if I didn't grab on to her. Nico stood up and had me put Rachael on the bench. Other campers came up to see what was going on. This drew the attention of Chiron. He made the campers disperse so he can see what is wrong.

"Miss Dare, what's wrong?" he asked as he looked her over.

"My head…" started Rachael. "It hurts."

"What happened?" demanded Chiron.

"I just shook her hand!" Tsuna said. "I don't know what I did wrong!"

"AAHH!" screamed Rachael. Her eyes turned serpent green and green smoke started to curl out of her mouth. Everyone backed up as our Oracle said a new prophecy. As she spoke, her voice sounded like there were three Rachaels speaking. I also heard the faint sound of hissing and the sound of waves hitting a beach.

"Sons of two Seas shall work as one  
With the Child of Death travel to the realm of the Rising Sun.  
Gather the treasures of the Noble Three  
And defeat the Lord of the Oni.  
With the fist of the Earthshaker  
Utter pride fills his Maker.  
One shall endure poison to save the others  
Through the sharing of blood will the Sea and Death become brothers.  
When true love is first seen  
The last Goddess will be his Queen.  
With blade of Dragon most grand,  
To save his friends the heir will perish by his own hand.  
The power of two Pantheons flows through his veins,  
With friends by his side the Serpent shall meet his bane."

Rachael collapsed on the bench and Tsuna caught her before her head bashed against the marble table. He laid her down so Chiron could make sure she was all right. After he checked her out, Chiron let out a sigh of relief.

"What the hell was that?!" Tsuna asked.

"A new prophecy has been made." Chiron said.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Tsuna wanted to know. "Is Rachael going to be alright?"

"She should be fine." I said. "She's just not used to giving prophecies yet."

"So what does the prophecy mean?" asked Tsuna.

"Prophecies are hard to interpret Tsuna." Chiron stated. "But whatever it means, there has to be a quest."

"So who's going lead this quest?" I asked.

"I'm guessing that it means Tsuna is to lead it," Chiron said, "As he is the one who shook Miss Dare's hand which caused her to say the prophecy."

"I don't want a quest!" Tsuna complained.

"I'm sorry, but it has been given." Chiron said. "The gods have given the prophecy and you must answer their call."

"But I-I mean a quest-" struggled Tsuna. He looked at everyone, think about what to do. After a minute he decided. "*exhale* Fine. I'll go."


	9. Chapter IX Nico

**Please review and enjoy. I hope that I captured Nico's personality well.**

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**Chapter IX Nico**

After Tsuna told Chiron he would accept the quest the children of Apollo carried Rachael to her room to rest. I never expected the Spirit of the Oracle would affect her like this. I saw her life force practically disappear when she accepted the Spirit. People still think I'm scary that I can see it when a person is dying. The other campers are afraid of me, which is why I don't have many friends. Percy has tried to get me to make more friends, but he doesn't know how hard it is. Tsuna has become the best friend I ever had. He treats me like a little brother, just like Bianca did.

"Do you know who you want to accompany you on your quest Tsuna?" Chiron asked. We were crowded with the other campers and it was making me uncomfortable.

"I need time to think about it." Tsuna said. He looked as uncomfortable as I do, being stared at by Chiron, Percy, and the other campers. "Is that alright?"

"*exhale* Very well Tsuna." Chiron said. "But I need to know soon. Zeus will wage war against the Shinto Pantheon if another being attacks."

"Isn't that going a bit too fast?" Tsuna asked. "It's not like they are directly attacking Olympus or anything."

"Be it as it may, please let me know by tonight." Chiron said. "We cannot go into another war so soon after our battles with the Titans. Think about it till tonight Tsuna."

"Okay Chiron." said Tsuna. Chiron left and told the other campers to finish their meals. Tsuna slumped onto the bench and rested his forehead in his hands. I sat next to him, ignoring the camp's rule, and just listened as Percy gave Tsuna advice on doing a quest while Tyson went back to the camp forges.

"So, prophecies usually have twist meanings." Percy explained. "One line makes you think it's about you, and then another says it's about another person."

"Thanks Percy." Tsuna said. "Nico, you understand the first two lines right?"

"Why are you asking me?" I asked.

"Because you're smart. Way smart." Tsuna said. "You're the one who came up with the idea for Percy's invincibility."

"But he did get me captured by Hades." Percy said, slightly angry. I felt sad that he still held onto that. Percy yelped in pain as Tsuna kicked and glared at him. "Sorry Nico, I didn't mean it."

"It's okay Percy." I said. "But about the prophecy… the line talks about sons of the sea. You and Percy are the only sons of Poseidon, the god of the sea. Then the child of Death obviously means me, as my dad is the lord of the Underworld."

"That means the three of us will have to go to Japan." Tsuna said.

"What makes you say we have to go to Japan?" Percy asked.

"Japan is known as the Land of the Rising Sun." Tsuna said. "The sun rises in the east, so after the sun sets on this side, Japan is the first place to feel the suns light."

"And you know that how?" asked Percy.

"I…watched a lot of anime growing up." Tsuna said.

"What's anime?" I asked curiously.

"Japanese animation." Tsuna said. "It's usually more graphic, gory, violent, and funny than American animation. There are a few shows I think you'll like. I'll show you sometime later. And there's the fact that Tsuchigumo and Ajari are _Japanese_ demons."

After we ate our lunch, Tsuna went to go to tell Chiron about the three of us going on the quest. He asked me if I wanted to come with because the quest concerns me too. But before we started walking to the Big House a camper came running up to Percy. He said that Percy had a package waiting for him. When we entered the Big House Percy went to the mail room and said he'll meet up with us soon.

"Ah, Tsuna, Nico, come in." Chiron said after we knocked on his office door. "Have you decided your companions for the quest Tsuna?"

"Nico and I figured out that the first two lines say that Percy, Nico and I need to go to Japan." Tsuna said.

"Japan… of course." Chiron said. "I'm afraid that my mind hasn't been as sharp as it used to be. Why didn't I see it before?"

"But how are we going to get there?" I asked. "I mean, I could shadow travel us all there, but I might miss by a country or two."

"Not to mention that taking not only yourself, but me and Tsuna could put you in a coma." Percy said as he walked in.

"Yes, that would be a terrible thing." Chiron said. "I guess I could persuade my centaur cousins to take the three of you as far as the west coast. You're going to have to contact Poseidon for travel across the Pacific."

"Or we could fly and we'd get there much faster." Tsuna said. "A flight from Seattle will take about ten hours compared to traveling by ship."

"But Zeus doesn't like it when a child of Poseidon or Hades enters his territory." Percy said. "When I was bringing back his Master Bolt, I swear he was making the flight shakier than it needed to be."

"I'll talk to Zeus." Chiron said. "He shouldn't want to wage a war on the Shinto gods after dealing with Kronos. My cousins are easily persuaded, so I want the three of you to leave tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of the day and get ready to leave in the morning."

We left the Big House right after talking to Chiron. Percy and Tsuna didn't have any activity to do for the rest of the day, and since I'm by myself, I don't either. We went to the cabins and I was curious for what was in it.

"What's in the box?" I asked. Percy looked at it and said it was addressed to him and Tsuna.

"I don't know." Percy said. "Let's go find out."

He walked into his cabin and Tsuna urged me in. I tried to stop him but he just threw his arm of my shoulders in a brotherly way. I decided to give up and just let him push me inside. Percy was already opening the box, cutting it open with his sword.

"Sweet!" Percy yelled. I looked closer and saw that it was filled with bags of Sally's blue cookies. Percy pulled one out and handed it to me. It had my name on it. He gave one to Tsuna and pulled out one that was for Annabeth. I counted the cookies and there were fifteen in each bag.

"Sally made me cookies too?" I asked.

"Of course dude." Percy said. "Mom really likes you. She wants you to come by more."

"Oh…" I said.

"Hey, there's more stuff in here." Tsuna said. He reached into the box and pulled out an envelope and a note. He struggled to read the note, but he got the message through.

"Percy, Tsuna, I am so happy to hear that the two of you are brothers! It's so good to know that you two will support each other. Be good to each other and watch out for Nico, okay? I worry about him and with the two of you he should have the best role models there could be. And try to get him to come to dinner more often! Oh, before I forget, Tsuna we have been packing up your stuff from your apartment and moving them in here, and putting Donna's stuff in storage for you. When you get back, we can all sort through it and see what you want to keep. While Paul and I were going through your apartment I found an old photo album. We sent a few of the pictures to you and Percy. I think you'll like them.

Love Sally and Paul.

P.S. Make sure that you SHARE those cookies. I separated them into bags, but Percy I know you well enough that you'll sneak them all."

Tsuna opened the envelope and took out four pictures. Tsuna flipped through them and smiled. He sat down on a bed and let Percy look at the pictures. Percy laughed and sat on the bed in front of Tsuna. I reached for the pictures to see what they were smiling about.

The first picture was of Percy and Tsuna when they were really young. They were in high chairs and smiling toothless smiles, probably because they were covered in blue frosting. I think Sally must have hosted the party. Behind the two babies is a banner that says 'Happy 1st birthday Percy and Tsuna!'

The next picture was of an older Percy and Tsuna. Percy was wearing overalls and a green shirt while Tsuna was wearing kiddie jeans and a white shirt. They were excitedly looking at a tiger exhibit. The tiger was looking right at them and in mid-yawn. The back of the photo said 'Tsuna and Percy, age 3'.

The third picture was of Percy and Tsuna wrestling playfully on a soft, multi-colored, puzzle shaped floor. Percy was wearing a red shirt and yellow soccer shorts while Tsuna was wearing a black shirt with a fish design and blue shorts. The back said that it was their first day of Day Care, when they were four years old.

The last picture was the most blackmail worthy. It was Tsuna and Percy sleeping on a carpeted floor. They were sharing a pillow and a blanket. They were very close to each other. They looked like they were five. The back had a handwriting that didn't belong to Sally. It was all fancy and curvy, so I couldn't read it.

"What does this say?" I asked, showing Tsuna the back of the picture.

"This is mom's handwriting." Tsuna said, tearing up. "It says 'Percy and Tsuna napping, so cute'."

"We need to hide these before the twins or Clarisse finds them." Percy said jokingly. "They'll definitely blackmail us."

"What's wrong Tsuna?" I asked after I saw his eyes water up more.

"Nothing." Tsuna said. "I'm just happy. I forgot all about these memories."

"I can't believe I forgot them too." Percy said, as he scooted closer to Tsuna to look at the picture again. "We looked so happy."

"At least you have the memories…" I said glumly.

"Don't talk like that Nico." Percy said.

"Yea, you have too much negativity around you." Tsuna said. "I see how a lot of the campers avoid you, so I know you don't have many friends. But you have me and Percy no matter what. And even though you don't have many memories of the past, I promise we will fill your future with happy memories."

"Thank you Tsuna." I said.

We spent a lot of the day talking about the quest, trying to guess what the rest of the prophecy meant. Before dinner Percy left the cabin to give Annabeth her cookies. Tsuna and I walked to dinner. I tried to go to my table, but Tsuna grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me to his table.

"What are you doing Tsuna?" I asked.

"I said I was going to give your future happy memories." Tsuna said. "I can't do that if you sit by yourself."

"But the rules…" I said.

"Nico, we haven't been following the rules since I got here." Tsuna said. "Chiron obviously hasn't been caring about it."

"Okay…" I said.

We sat down and Percy came up with Annabeth. She gave me a look, the same look she has been giving me for a couple days. I don't think she approves that I'm breaking camp rules by sitting at the Poseidon table. I couldn't explain it to her that Tsuna wanted me over here.

After dinner, at the campfire, Chiron made the announcement about me, Tsuna, and Percy going on the quest. He had us stand up in front of the fire and told the other campers that we are leaving in the morning, heading across the Pacific Ocean. After he told the campers to wish us luck, they cheered and clapped for us Percy waved at the crowd, used to the attention. I felt really out of place being in front of everyone. Tsuna saw how uncomfortable I was and placed his hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw him smiling. He was reassuring me that it was okay.

We went to bed early that night because Chiron told us that we were to get up early. Tsuna tried to get me to sleep in his cabin, but Chiron said that we couldn't do that. I could tell by Tsuna's face that he really didn't want me to be alone. I told him that it will be alright.

I really like my cabin. A lot of the campers find it the scariest place in camp, but it was a fitting building that represents my dad, if I do say so myself. Out of the entire camp, there are only three people who have seen the inside: me, Percy, and Tsuna. The cabin, in a way, has two floors. The entrance is raised up and on it was a couch with black cushions. There is also a table for us to eat on if we have food. To get to the four beds the cabin holds, you have to walk down three steps. Because the entire cabin is made of black marble, the inside is lit by Greek Fire torches.

I hung up my jacket and changed into some sleeping clothes. They were gifts from Sally, after I stayed a few nights with Percy a couple of weeks before the battle of Manhattan. It was a dark green shirt that had lighter colored skulls dancing around the bottom. After taking my black jeans off I took out the black and dark red pajama pants then brushed my teeth. I made sure there was a sink in the cabin when I built it.

I lay in the bed for a while, trying to think of the prophecy. There were a lot of things that were bothering me. But for the life of me I couldn't think of any way to interpret it. That's the problem with prophecies; they can be confusing and mean different things at once. With a yawn I sunk into the black comforter and fell asleep. I was woken up when someone knocked on my cabin door. I walked to the door, still mostly asleep and when I opened it Clarisse was standing there.

"Clarisse?" I asked while rubbing my eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I was told to make sure you get up." She said. She was fully dressed in her usual clothes. She looks like she had already done her morning training regimen. "Come on Death Boy, get dressed. You're supposed to be at Half-Blood Hill already."

"Okay, let me get changed." I said. I got dressed and brushed me teeth and grabbed my bag of cookies that Sally made.

Clarisse led me to the top of Half Blood Hill, where everyone was waiting. Tsuna, Percy, Tyson, Annabeth, and Chiron were around the large pine tree that the Golden Fleece hung on. They all looked extremely tired. Chiron handed me a back pack and when I put my cookies in it I saw that there was a baggie of Ambrosia, a thermos of Nectar, and a bag of golden Drachmas. Tsuna saw me and sleepily walked over to put his arm around my shoulders.

"Morning Neeks." He said as he ruffled my hair. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah." I said. "You?"

"Not really." Tsuna said. "Between the quest anxiety and Tyson's snoring I had a hell of a time trying to sleep."

"Sorry about that." I said.

"Tsuna, could you come here for a second?" Chiron asked.

"Yeah Chiron." Tsuna said. "I'll be right back Nico."

"'Kay." I said with a yawn. I walked over to Percy and saw that he and Annabeth were saying goodbye, by kissing. It was embarrassing watching them and I felt my face heat up. I backed up away from them and went over to Tsuna. Chiron was handing him a small black card.

"-and remember that it has unlimited funds." Chiron said. "We never expected for a quest to occur in another country like Japan."

"Unlimited funds…" Tsuna said staring at the piece of plastic. "Oh the trouble I could do with this."

"And here's something that will help you get into Japan." Chiron said as he handed Tsuna and me small black books. I opened it and it had a blank piece of paper in it. "These have been spelled by the Hecate Cabin. We didn't have time to make official passports, so if you tell anybody something, these booklets will appear as official documents to them."

"Cool, I always wanted Psychic Paper." Tsuna said as he pocketed the book.

"Psychic Paper?" I asked.

"It's a Doctor Who thing." Tsuna explained.

"Doctor…Who?" I asked.

"Very dangerous question." Tsuna said in a British accent. I still didn't understand, so I gave him a look. "It's a British science fiction show that began in the sixties. Tell you what, next time you and I hang out, after the quest and we're somewhere with a TV, I'll get you hooked."

"O-uh…I…" I didn't know what to say. Tsuna just laughed slightly. He then looked over at Percy and Annabeth, who were holding hands and their foreheads were touching.

"Guess I should separate those two." Tsuna said. He walked off while Chiron was digging through his satchel.

"Tsuna wait-" Chiron said, but Tsuna was gone. "Nico, would you mind giving Tsuna this?"

"Sure." I said after he handed me an old book. I flipped through it and saw that it had weird writing on it. It looked like the symbol that Ajari had around his neck. "What is it?"

"It's something I picked up when I was in Japan." Chiron said. "From what I was told, it talks about the Shinto legends and all sorts of things related to Japanese mythology."

"Oh, okay. I'll give it to him." I said.

"Thank you my boy." Chiron said. I walked over to where everybody else was while Chiron went to talk to Argus about driving us across New York.

"Cool!" I heard Percy yell. In his hand was a watch. He put it on his wrist and pressed a button. A full bronze shield spiraled out like a camera shutter. "Dude, you made me another one! Is this what you have been doing since you got here?"

"Uh huh." Tyson said. "I didn't have time to put any of the pictures on it though."

"It's alright Tyson." Percy said. He raised his fist for a fist bump, so Tyson touched their fists together. "I'll make sure to keep it in one shape this time."

"Percy we need to go." Tsuna said. "I want a nap before we get to New York City."

"There's no need to rush him Tsuna." Annabeth said. She put her hands around Percy's neck and kissed him deeply. "Come back alive, Seaweed Brain."

"Will do." Percy said with a smile. Annabeth then went over to Tsuna and kissed him on the cheek, and then she did the same thing to me. I blushed when she kissed me.

"Stay safe boys." Annabeth said. I nodded while Tsuna just said whatever while looking away, his face a little red.

Clarisse told us good luck and said she was going back to bed. Then Tyson pulled the three of us into a really tight hug. I nearly choked from being crushed. All of us walked down to the bottom of the hill, where Chiron and Argus were waiting by the van.

"Argus will be driving you south of New York City." Chiron explained. "From there you'll meet up with my centaur brethren who will take you to an airport in the Seattle area."

"SeaTac Airport, yeah I know where it is." Tsuna said. "Mom had me practice driving around that area when I was getting my license."

"Then you'll be able to navigate the centaurs." Chiron said. "They're not that good in really crowded areas."

"What about flying?" I asked. "I don't fall out of the sky."

"I was able to coerce Zeus into letting you fly." Chiron said. "It was difficult, but with Athena's help Zeus relented."

"That's great. I thought Zeus would throw a lightning bolt and cause us to crash." Percy said.

The three of us crawled into the back of the van after we said our last good byes. Argus pulled out and we relaxed with the smooth ride. Percy watched out the window while Tsuna fell asleep. I started to get tired too, so I just closed my eyes and fell asleep. I knew that as long as the three of us were together, we will get through this prophecy without any trouble.


	10. Chapter X Nico

**Please enjoy and review.**

* * *

**Chapter X Nico**

"Maybe I should call Mom." I heard Percy say. I slowly opened my eyes and I saw that we were stuck in traffic. "I think she needs to know about us leaving the country."

"No, she'll just worry." Tsuna said. I felt really comfortable. I looked down and saw that there was an arm around me. I shifted and tried to sit up. "Well look who's up."

"How long was I asleep?" I asked as I rubbed my eyes.

"Since we left Camp." Percy said. "You fell asleep right after Tsuna did and laid on him."

"I did?" I asked feeling embarrassed. "Sorry Tsuna."

"It's alright Nico." Tsuna said. "You looked comfortable and I didn't want to wake you up."

"…thanks." I said quietly. I looked out the window and saw that we were still stopped. "How long have we been in traffic?"

"About 45 minutes." Percy said.

"It would be faster if we walked." said Tsuna. "One thing I hate about big cities is the traffic."

"So Seattle has bad traffic?" I wondered.

"I want to say it's worse than this city." Tsuna explained. "Trust me; learning to drive in that city was awful."

We started moving again and my stomach growled. I realized that we left before breakfast, and it didn't appear that we were going to be stopping anywhere. I pulled out my bag of cookies and ate a few. It settled my stomach a bit. Tsuna said something about wanting coffee after we passed a Starbucks. We rode for a while until we were south of the city, where there was a lot more fields. Argus stopped the van and we got out. He was nice enough to walk with us to the centaur camp.

If you have never seen a centaur camp before, I don't recommend ever going to one. It was loud, really loud with blaring music. I'm surprised no mortals ever found the camp. That's the power of the Mist for you. A centaur camp is also really messy and very crowded. I felt really uncomfortable and out of place.

"Dudes!" said one centaur. "It's the hero of Olympus and his friends!"

"What's he doing here?" asked another centaur.

"Chiron said he talked to you." Percy said. "About giving us a ride to Seattle."

"Oh yea, that's right…" said a centaur. "He did talk to us."

"And?" Tsuna asked.

"Do you guys want to party?" asked a centaur. "Or some root beer? Do we even have root beer? De we have any root beer?!"

"We don't want any root beer!" I yelled.

"Yeesh kid, chill out." said the centaur.

"So can we have a ride?" Tsuna asked.

"Yea, hop on." said the centaur.

We said goodbye and thanks to Argus as we got on three centaurs. They started to run and the world began to shift and blend together. I couldn't make out anything. I did see Tsuna smiling happily with his arms up. He must have been having fun. I wasn't sure how long we were riding, but it seemed like a long time. We eventually stopped in a grassy field. The centaurs were tired.

"You guys okay?" Percy asked.

"No worries my two legged brother." said the centaur out of breath. "We just need to rest for a bit."

"Go and have fun." said the centaur I was riding on. "There's an outlet mall over there."

"Yea, there are some places to get food too." said Tsuna's centaur. The three centaurs collapsed and fell asleep.

"Well, let's get going." Tsuna said as he stretched his legs. "I'm starting to feel bowlegged."

We walked to the mall, past several fields of wheat. We soon passed by several parking lots. I saw a couple of interesting stores, but a lot of it was girl's clothing. We walked around and found a mall map.

"So what do you guys want to eat?" Tsuna asked. "They've got a Chile's, an Applebee's, and all sorts of good places."

"I'm open to anything." Percy said. "Nico?"

"Do they have a McDonalds?" I asked.

"Don't you want something other than McDonalds?" Tsuna asked. I just gave him a blank stare. "Okay then. McDonalds it is."

So we ate at McDonalds. Percy got a Big Mac, Tsuna got a chicken club sandwich, and I ate the Chicken Nuggets. Percy and Tsuna laughed that I ate that. After we ate we walked around the mall. We went into a shoe store, an athletic store called Under Armor, and Aeropostle. We passed a place that Tsuna was thrilled to see. It was located under a large chimney, and was called Cold Stone Creamery.

Sorry Aunt Sally, but I have a new favorite place in the world now. This place makes the best ice cream I ever had. They even allow you to make your own ice cream with anything you want in it! I got a cake batter ice cream with hot fudge, whipped cream, M&M's, brownies. Percy got a simple banana sundae while Tsuna got something called a Hunka Chunka Burnin' Fudge. It looked as good as mine did. Tsuna saw that I was eyeing his ice cream, so he shared with me.

We went back to the centaurs after our ice cream. I asked Tsuna if we could get them a drink and he said that it was fine. We stopped by McDonalds again and got three of their largest Root Beers. The centaurs were banging their heads together when we got back. They were really excited to get a drink. They even said that they'll go into turbo, whatever that means.

Before we got into Seattle we hit rain. A lot of rain. I was soaked when we got off the centaurs. Before we could say thanks for the ride, the centaurs rushed off somewhere else. It was still raining. Percy put his hood up, but Tsuna looked really happy. He had his arms raised up and his face was pointed up into the sky.

"Home…" Tsuna said as he looked around. I looked to where he was looking and I saw a saucer like building.

"Do you want to look around Tsuna?" I asked. "Since you haven't been here for a while?"

"No, I'm fine." He said. "Let's just on the plane."

"You know, this is my first time in this part of the country." Percy said.

"Really?" Tsuna asked.

"It's mine too." Nico said.

"Sorry, I would show you around if we didn't have to go on this quest." Tsuna said. He put his arms around Percy's and my shoulders. "Tell you what, how about after this quest we persuade Sally and Paul to drive us up here and I show you all around. Seattle is has many great places to see, like the Space Needle, the Science Center, and the Aquarium."

"Sounds cool." I said.

"Yeah, it will be great family vacation." Percy said. My eyes went wide when Percy said that. I knew that Percy thought of me as family, but it still felt weird when he said it. I felt happy about it too. I felt that I belonged somewhere.

"You alright Neeks?" asked Tsuna.

"Yeah." I said. "Where are we?"

"I'd say we're near Bow Lake." Tsuna said. "The airport is that way. Let's get hiking."

We walked through the small woods and wound up at a hotel parking lot. Tsuna apparently knew where he was going, so Percy and I just followed him. We got into the airport and saw that it was really crowded. Tsuna pushed our way to the ticket person. I wonder how we looked to her, a couple of soaked kids with dirty clothes and no luggage other than the back packs on their backs.

"Hello ma'am." Tsuna said. "I would like three tickets to Japan please."

"Three tickets to Japan?" asked the attendant. "Why do you want to go to Japan?"

"Well, I want to learn about my heritage." Tsuna said. "And my brothers wanted to come along."

"Brothers?" the attendant said. "The three of you don't really look alike. Well, you two do."

"Nico's my cousin." Tsuna said as he hooked his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. "My parents raised him along with us, so he's pretty much our brother."

"Okay then." said the attendant. She typed away at her computer. "Let's see…sorry, we only have First Class seating left. Wow, we even have three seats left."

"Cool, we'll take them." Tsuna said with a smile. "Do you need to see our passports?"

"No, I don't." she said. "How do you expect to pay for the tickets? They're very expensive. I don't think-"

"Money's not an issue." Tsuna said as he took out the black Olympian credit card. "Mom and Dad gave me this. Said that I could use it for whatever the three of us need."

She took the card and printed out our tickets. We went through security without a problem. I'm surprised that my pocket knife-disguised-Stygian Iron sword didn't raise any alarms. Maybe metal from the Underworld or Olympus isn't traceable by mortal standards. We were still wet when we went through security, so Percy dragged us to the bathroom. He and Tsuna used their powers to get all the water off our clothes so we were dry.

Our plane didn't leave for about two hours, so we sat and waited. Percy watched out bags while me and Tsuna went to go get snacks. It was mainly peanuts and chocolate bars. I smelled coffee and saw that we were passing a Starbucks. We passed another one when we got back to our seats. Tsuna went and got us all coffee. His reasoning is that you can't go to Seattle without getting coffee.

"Did you guys see this?" Percy asked us. He was watching the weather channel. "It's saying Japan is having really weird weather."

"Weird weather?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

"It's saying that there's a massive snowstorm all around Japan." Percy explained. "Even in south Japan, which the weather woman says doesn't get snow during this time of the year. There's also strong wind storms."

"Do you think it has something to do with our quest?" I asked Tsuna.

"Probably." Tsuna said. "Even if it wasn't, it's going to make it more difficult."

"Now boarding for Flight 473 to Kagoshima Japan." said a man over the intercom. "I repeat; we are now boarding for Flight 473 to Kagoshima Japan. All those with First Class tickets and Family pre-boarding passes are to come to the front of the line and have your passports ready."

"There's our flight." Tsuna said as he stood up and drained his coffee. "Ready?"

"You bet." Percy said while I nodded.

We walked up to the boarding guy and gave him our tickets. He asked for our passports and we showed him the spelled booklets. He stared at them for a little bit, maybe trying to see if they were fake. I was afraid that the books magic had faded already. But he just said that they were real and handed them back to us. We walked through the tunnel that connected the airport to airplane.

The three of us were led to the First Class seating. I have never been in airplane before, and looking at the seat Tsuna got us I'm glad this is the first time I flew on an airplane. The seats looked really cushiony and there was a lot of space between them. They even have foot rests! We sat really close to each other, with two of us in one seat, as they were the size of Sally's love seat. Percy and Tsuna sat together first, so I got a whole large seat to myself, and I was next to the window.

Percy found a small television that had a small selection of movies. When I asked the stewardess, she said that you have to pay for the movies. Tsuna gave me the Olympian credit card and I got a couple of movies to watch. I order several long movies, the Lord of the Rings series specifically.

"Thank you all for choosing this airline for your trip to Japan." said one flight attendant. "Our flight time will be approximately ten hours, so please sit back and relax."

After the flight attendants showed us all the safety procedures, the captain of the plane spoke over the intercom and said that the skies are rougher than expected, and said that it will be a bumpier ride. We started to pull away from where we boarded and started to gain speed. When we started to pull up, I grew nervous.

"Are you alright Nico?" Tsuna asked. "You're shaking."

"I'm fine." I said as I gripped the armrests tighter. "I just never flew in an airplane before."

"Well, I guess it's time for you to earn that aviator's jacket, right?" Tsuna said jokingly.

"Yeah, sure." I said.

After we were in the sky, I immediately felt what the captain meant about a bumpy ride. The plane shook and I was nearly thrown from my seat a couple of times, despite wearing a seat belt. I tried to watch the movies, but the flight was too distracting. So Percy watched the movies while I looked out the window. Tsuna slept most of the flight. After a large shake Percy spoke up.

"I guess Zeus never meant to give us an easy flight." He said.

"You think?" Tsuna asked sarcastically.

"Oh!" I remembered. "Tsuna, Chiron asked me to give you this book."

"Really?" He said as he took the book. "It's in Japanese. Why would he want me to have it?"

"He didn't say." I said. "He did say that it's full of stories related to Japanese mythology."

"Hmm." Tsuna said as he flipped through the book. I yawned and he noticed. "You should rest Nico. It's getting pretty late."

"Okay." I said with another yawn. I leaned back, but Tsuna pulled me onto him. I tried to fight it, but he kept a hold of me. "Tsuna-"

"Just relax Nico." Tsuna said. "You can always lean on my shoulder."

I felt embarrassed, but I was more tired. I fell asleep despite the shaking plane. I slept longer than I expected, as Percy was waking me up. I was sitting with Percy now; Tsuna must have switched seats while I was napping. Percy said we were descending into Japan. Tsuna was staring out the window, watching the scene go by. I stood up and looked as well. It was a truly beautiful sight, despite all the snow. I could see a large city, but not too far was a large forest and an even bigger series of mountains.

"What's it like being here Tsuna?" I asked.

"Not sure." He said. "I never was too connected with my Japanese heritage, other than Kendo. Oh! That's where Godzilla and Space Godzilla fought!"

"Godzilla?" I asked.

"Geez Neeks, how many things do I have to show you?" Tsuna wondered. "Now that I think about it, I wonder if Tokyo has a Godzilla museum."

We arrived in Japan safe and sound. As soon as we got into the terminal, I saw how crowded it was. People were coming and going. The Japanese people even had surgical masks over their mouths. I asked why they did that, but Tsuna didn't have a clue. Hoisting our bags, we stayed together to find a ride. Tsuna found a person who set people up at hotels and get them rides to places. Luckily she spoke English. After she set up a reservation for the hotel she called us a taxi.

We got our ride and slowly made it to our hotel. It was a fancy place. Tsuna was definitely using the unlimited funds that credit card had. We were shown to our room by a bellhop and it was nice looking. There were two beds with silk sheets, ornate wooden chairs, a dresser, and a flat screen TV.

"Two beds." I stated.

"Yep." Percy responded. "Which one do you want Nico?"

"It doesn't matter." I said as I let my back pack fall from my shoulder.

"You can have your own bed Nico." Tsuna said. "Percy and I will share."

"I, I don't mind sharing…" I said. "You don't have to be so nice to me Tsuna."

"Course I do." He said with a smile that was obnoxious as Percy's.

"Why?" I said.

"Because I want to." Tsuna said. "Before we go get something to eat, I'm taking a shower."

So he went into the bathroom and showered. Percy and I relaxed on our beds and turned on the TV. Percy flipped through the channels, trying to find something that he could understand. Tsuna got out the bathroom soon after, and asked if anybody else was going to take one. I went into the bathroom before Percy said anything. The warm water felt good and relaxing after our long flight. Percy took one when I was done.

After we were all cleaned up we left the hotel and found a restaurant. I had this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was going to happen, so I insisted that we bring our bags with us. The restaurant was really cool! They cooked right in front of us. Part of the table was a large grill, and the chef made something called an onion volcano.

"Anata wa nani o tabetaidesu ka1?" asked the large chef when we sat down.

"Yes, I would like the Sutēki to yasai men kudasai2." Tsuna said, as if nothing happened. Percy and I stared at him, shocked. "What?"

"You spoke Japanese." I said.

"Īe, watashi wa shimasendeshita imasen3." Tsuna said in Japanese.

"You just did it again!" Percy said.

"The hell is going on?" Tsuna asked himself.

Despite Tsuna slipping into Japanese, the meal he ordered for us was delicious. After dinner we walked back to the hotel. We got lost though. Tsuna was looking at the signs, but we kept getting turned around. We event tried to ask people for help, but they ignored us. We ended up in a shadier area of the city.

"Why didn't you just call a taxi?" Percy asked.

"I don't know." Tsuna said. "Couldn't you shadow travel us back to the hotel?"

"Shadow travel is tricky." I explained. "And it's exhausting, especially if I take somebody else with me."

"There goes that option then." Tsuna said.

We walked around some more. There were teenagers with scratches on their face and wearing uniforms. They were smoking and watching us. When we passed they waited for a second then began to follow us. In front of us was another group of teenagers, who had bats in their hands. There was a very large man behind them. He was very tall and had long, scraggily black hair. He wore and open red vest which showed us that he had a lot of muscles. He wore tiger print pants, which reminded me of Mr. D. Swung over his shoulder was a large black bat.

"Let's go this way." Tsuna said, leading us into an alley. But it was a dead end and as the teenagers and the large man entered, we were trapped.

"Well, look what I found." Said the large man in heavily accented English. "Did you know you're a wanted person Umi no Musuko?"

"What are you?" Tsuna demanded.

"What do mean?" asked the man. "I'm a human."

"Yea, you blew that when you called me Umi no Musuko." Tsuna said.

"The son of the sea is smart, like his dad." The man said.

"What are you?" Percy asked, Riptide (in pen form) in his hand.

"What? Can't you tell a human when you see one?" the large man said. "They're only hypnotized to do what I want."

"A gang of hypnotized teenagers." I said. "Very threatening."

"Yes, I know." The man said. "When they're alone they are not very scary, but in large groups they can be quite threatening. Especially when you give them weapons."

"You're not human though." I said as I tried to look beyond the Mist. I saw that the large man's body shift in appearance and his skin looked really red.

"Why don't you show us what you really look like?" Percy said.

"Eh, I don't like to scare the people." The man said. "With today's weapons, they are really more annoying. Can't just run into a village and grab a mouthful of humans anymore."

"So who and what are you?" Tsuna asked, his sword appearing in his hand. Percy uncapped Riptide and I took out my black pocket knife. I flipped the blade out and it grew into my Stygian Iron sword.

"Easy now, you don't want to hurt the humans." The man said, putting his free hand up defensively. "Though the Greek metals won't even cut them would they? But the katana on the other hand, well, Divine Steel doesn't have the same prejudice as the Greeks."

"Your sword isn't made from Greek metal?" I asked Tsuna. I wasn't even going to tell the large guy how Stygian Iron really works.

"Nico, now's not the time to be curious of my sword." Tsuna said. He pointed his sword at the large man "Tell us what you really are and release the kids."

"Right to the point. I like that Umi no Musuko." said the large man. "Call me Hyousuke, an Oni. Now, I would rather bring you to Daranibō in one piece, but if you even think about running…well, I can't guarantee anything."

He swung his black bat around to show us his point. The teenagers began to walk towards us, taking out brass knuckles, pocket knives, and bats of their own. I was about to shadow travel us somewhere safe, despite the risk it would be to me, when I saw that the walls of the alleyway had old, leaking pipes on them. I motioned them to look at them, and I saw a plan forming in their eyes.

Percy and Tsuna looked at the walls closest to them and concentrated. I heard the pipes shaking from what they were doing. The teenagers came closer and I could see that their eyes were dulled, probably because they were spelled like Hyousuke said. Then I heard a loud sound coming from the pipes. Water began to pour out of them, and then with a sound like thunder a huge wave of water exploded from both walls. Tsuna and Percy directed the water towards the spelled teenagers and Hyousuke. The wave of water pushed them back out of the alley. We quickly ran out of the alley.

"Get back here!" yelled Hyousuke. He lunged at us and grabbed me by my jacket.

"Let go!" I yelled as I struggled in his grip.

"Nico!" Percy and Tsuna yelled. Percy uncapped Riptide again and rushed at Hyousuke. Tsuna made the water underneath Hyousuke coil around him like ropes.

"This can't hold me!" yelled the Oni.

He started to struggle against the water ropes. Percy went to stab him, but Hyousuke maneuvered his black bat against Riptide. Percy was forced back because of the recoil. This distracted Hyousuke from noticing Tsuna from unzipping my jacket and pulling me through it.

"My jacket!" I yelled. My backpack fell from my jacket and Tsuna picked it up.

"I'll get you a new one, come on!" Tsuna said as he pulled me away. "Percy!"

"You'll never get away from me!" screamed Hyousuke. "I know what you look like"

"Nico, we need some cover!" Percy yelled.

"But my jacket-" I started to say.

"Nico, forget the jacket!" Tsuna yelled. "The Oni will kill us if we don't get out of here."

I didn't argue with him. I wanted my jacket though. But to get us to safety I used my powers to make an entire area without any light. Darkness spread across the alley way, covering Hyousuke in a black cloud. The three of us then ran as fast as we could away from the Oni and into a more monitored area. When we stopped running Tsuna started looking around, his eyes darting from sign to sign.

"What are you doing?!" Percy asked.

"Reading." Tsuna said. "I'm trying to find a clothing store."

"Why?" Percy asked. "And since when can you read Japanese."

"Since Nico gave me that book from Chiron. And Hyousuke knows what we look like." Tsuna explained. "We need to blend in better. New clothes equal camouflage."

"Wha-?" Percy and I started to ask.

"There!" Tsuna said, and then he pulled us into the store.

As soon as we went in he dragged us into the guys section. He went through the clothes and found stuff in our sizes. He pushed us into the dressing rooms and told us to get changed. Percy and I didn't have time to argue as he went into another dressing room. I took off my clothes, stuffed them into my back pack, and changed into the ones Tsuna picked out for me. I was wearing black jeans that were even darker than my usual pair and a black shirt that had a weird red heart design on it.

I walked out and waited for Percy and Tsuna. Percy came out after me. He was wearing dark green straight cut pants and a blue striped long sleeve hooded top with a grey double breasted coat. Tsuna then came out of his dressing room wearing black washed jeans and a dark blue drawstring hooded t-shirt with a black asymmetric zip cotton biker jacket.

"Ready?" Tsuna asked. We nodded. "Let's go."

We went to go pay for out new clothes. While we waited in line Tsuna looked around. He saw something then went to grab whatever caught his eye. He came back with a hooded leather jacket that had silver tassels.

"Here Nico." Tsuna said. He handed me the jacket. "Sorry about your aviator's jacket. This was the best I could find."

"You found this for me?" I asked. I slipped it on and it felt nice. "Thanks Tsuna."

"You're welcome buddy." Tsuna said as he ruffled my hair.

We paid for all of our new clothes after I had my new jacket. The sales lady was really nice about us wearing our new clothes out. When we started to walk out I saw Hyousuke and some of his hypnotized gang enter the store, with my jacket still in his hand. My jacket's sleeves were pointed right at me.

"My jacket!" I yelled. I felt someone grab my hand I looked and saw that it was Tsuna.

"Run." Tsuna said. He looked at Percy. "Run!"

So we ran. Hyousuke and his gang ran after us. We pushed through crowds of people, and so did Hyousuke. Tsuna used his powers to make the snow turn into water and trip up Hyousuke, while I used darkness to block his vision. He roared in anger every time we slowed him down. Tsuna got an idea while we ran. He read the signs again and dragged Percy and me by the hands to a bus stop.

"Anata ga kita midashi4?" the driver asked as we got on the bus.

"Hai, kita5." Tsuna said in Japanese. We were so scared and tired that none of us cared about it at the moment.

He swiped the Olympian card and paid for our fare. We took our seat at the back of the bus and breathed a sigh of relief. Then we heard loud stomping. I turned back and saw Hyousuke running after us. He must have been half way between his true form and his disguise because he was larger and his bat was more of a spiked club now. Luckily for us the bus had already started moving out, so he slowly disappeared in the distance.

"So what do we do now?" I asked after I caught my breath.

"Who knows?" Tsuna said. "But if the Fates want us to do something, they'll make us do it."

"Where are we heading right now?" Percy asked.

"North." Tsuna said. "I don't know where exactly, but north."

"Let's just enjoy the ride." I said. I was getting really tired. I yawned loudly.

"Your powers wear you out?" Tsuna asked.

"Yea." I said and my eyes got heavier. "I just need to rest up."

"Then take a nap." Tsuna said.

"We'll wake you up when we stop or we figure out where we're going." Percy said.

"Thanks guys." I said as I closed my eyes. I fell asleep, and with the snickers that I heard Tsuna and Percy let out, I figured I was laying on one of their shoulders again. Why do I keep doing that?

* * *

**1. What would you like to order?**

**2. Steak and vegetables with noodles please.**

**3. No I didn't.**

**4. You heading north?**

**5. Yes, north.**


	11. Chapter XI Nico

**Please enjoy and review.**

* * *

**Chapter XI Nico**

We have switched buses three times since we left Kagoshima. After our first stop Tsuna got us a map and gave us some sort of idea of where we were going. According to Tsuna, we were now in the middle of Kyushu, outside the city of Hitoyoshi. The bus was going through a really forested part of the island. The trees looked really old. After being in a city like Kagoshima, it's like I was in another time…again.

Tsuna marveled at the woods. He said that they reminded them of Washington, just grander. He even went on to call it a perfect blend of modern humanity and the raw beauty of nature. It was early in the morning and it was just the three of us on the bus. Even with the snow blowing all around, I could see a fog clinging to the ground.

"So we still don't know where we're going?" I asked.

"Yes Nico, we don't know." Tsuna said, rubbing his eyes in frustration. I guess I was annoying him.

"What about the prophecy?" Percy asked. "Does it say anything? They usually do."

"I've been going over it since we left camp." Tsuna said. "I can't figure it out. It has no clues."

"At least we have a nice view." I said as I watched out the window.

We rode for several hours. The snow got stronger and thicker. Then as we were driving the bus driver screamed and slammed on the break. I braced myself as we skidded to a stop. The bus swerved on the road, but it stopped and nobody was hurt.

"What in Dad's name happened?!" I asked.

"I'll go check." Percy said as he walked to the front.

"I wonder if he plans on talking to the driver." Tsuna said.

"Percy doesn't think things through sometimes." I said

"I can see that." Tsuna said as he watched Percy try to talk to the driver. He was even attempting to use charades.

"Uh, guys!" Percy yelled after he looked through the front window. "I think you need to see this."

We walked to the front of the bus where Tsuna asked the driver if he was okay. While Tsuna talked I looked out the window and saw what got Percy's attention. There were animals crossing the road. A lot of animals. There were birds, deer, pigs, and other small animals.

"That's weird." I said. "Do the animals here usually do that?"

"I'll ask." Tsuna said. The driver spoke and Tsuna translated. "He said that they never do that. This is weird."

"I wonder what's causing them to do that." Percy said.

"Noroi, tochi wa norowa rete iru! Mori wa nanigoto ni tsukete mo okotte, ikatteiru!1" yelled the driver.

"What is he yelling about?" I asked.

"He-he's saying something about how this forest is cursed." Tsuna translated. He looked in the direction the animals were coming from. Then he opened the bus door and walked out.

"Tsuna, where are you going?" Percy asked.

"I don't know." Tsuna said out in the snow. "I just have this weird feeling."

He started walking into the forest. We called after him, but he kept walking. After telling the driver thanks we ran after Tsuna. As we walked Percy pointed that the sky looks darker.

"Tsuna come on!" I said. "We're in the middle of nowhere."

But he just kept walking. It's as if he was in a trance. When another herd of animals came by, Tsuna ran in the direction they came from. Percy and I ran after him, but he was really fast. He jumped over roots and ducked under branches with ease.

"Gods he's fast." Percy said when the two of us stopped. He was leaning against a tree while we caught our breath.

"What got into him?" I asked.

"I don't know." Percy said. "He's been acting weird since we got here."

"Weird as in what?" I said. "Other than running off?"

"Well, there's the Japanese he's been speaking and reading." Percy said. "When we met, and his first day of school, he told me that he doesn't read or speak the language. He even said that he makes sure that all of his anime that he watches is in English so he doesn't have to read the subtitles. Then as soon as he met Mr. Umo he was able to understand Japanese and when we get here he slips into it and speaks it like he's speaking English."

"Maybe Japan is having an effect on him." I said. "Maybe the magic of Japan is like seeping into his brain, allowing him to know the language."

"That's an interesting theory Nico, but it's ridiculous in all honesty." Tsuna said from somewhere.

"Tsuna?" Percy asked. "Where are you?"

"Over here." Tsuna said. He raised his arm, showing us that he was on the ground.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Shhh." He said, putting his finger to his lips. He motioned us to lie down, which we did. He pointed ahead of us and motioned us to look.

There was a group of animals around. Mostly deer and birds. But standing on a long, above the others was a small silver fox. It would have blended into the snow if it didn't have black paws and a black nose. But then I saw that it had not just one tail, but three.

"A…Kitsune?" Tsuna looked at the fox questioningly.

"What's a Kitsune?" Percy asked.

"A mythological fox, usually with nine tails." Tsuna explained.

"You read that in your book?" Percy wondered.

"Yes." Tsuna said. "But Kitsune are often used in anime. When I was younger I always asked mom to buy me one. She, she even took me to the zoo once and her friend who worked there allowed me to pet and feed with them for a bit after their health checkup. But to see a real one…I wonder why it doesn't have nine tails."

"Wareware wa tatakau hitsuyō ga arimasu!2" the Kitsune said.

"What did it say?" I asked.

"He said that they need to fight." Tsuna translated. The other animals chirped and grunted in reply to the Kitsune.

"How do you know it's a guy?" Percy asked.

"How did you know about Blackjack being a guy?" Tsuna countered. "The voice is young, but it's clearly a boy."

"Hey, look at its leg." I pointed out. "The hind leg is hurt."

"We need to help it." Tsuna said.

"Shikashi, soreha watashitachi no iedesu! Gādian wa, komatte iru!3" the Kitsune argued with the animals. They grunted back at him.

"Something about their home." Tsuna said. "I think their home is in trouble, and so is their Guardian."

"What do think we should do?" I asked.

"Let's just listen." Tsuna said.

"Onegaishimasu! Watashi wa jibun jishin ni yotte akuma to tatakau koto wa dekimasen!4" The Kitsune begged.

"He's begging them to stay." Tsuna said. I saw sadness in his eyes. "He needs their help to fight some demon."

The animals grunted again, then turned and left. The Kitsune was alone in the clearing, looking sad. It even started crying. Tsuna stood up and slowly walked up to it. The Kitsune didn't notice Tsuna until he was a few feet away. As soon as it saw Tsuna it went into a defensive stance and growled, showing its teeth and puffing out its fur.

"It's okay." Tsuna said. He shuffled a bit closer, reaching his hand out to the Kitsune. "I'm not going to hurt you."

He was really close to the Kitsune now and he was about to touch its head. But when he was close enough the silver fox bit his hand. Tsuna yelped in pain and tried to pull his hand out, but the fox kept a hold of.

"OW!" Tsuna yelled. "Let go! Get off!"

Percy and I ran to help him, but he signaled us to stay back. He then knocked his fist on the Kitsune's head, making it let go. It landed on its paws, and then rubbed its head.

"Wa! Sore wa kizutsukeru!5" the Kitsune said.

"_That_ hurt?!" Tsuna asked. "You bit me!"

"Anata wa watashi no ryōdodeatta!6" yelled the silver Kitsune.

"Sorry, I just thought we could help!" Tsuna explained. "We're good guys, heroes!"

"Eiyūna no ka Tsugini, anata wa tasukeru koto ga dekiru! Watashi ni shitagatte kudasai!7" exclaimed the Kitsune. He darted off to the left, leaving the three of us by ourselves. Tsuna was rubbing his hand, smearing blood his blood on it.

"You okay?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, it just stings a bit." Tsuna said and shook his hand fast.

"Do you want to use some Ambrosia?" I asked.

"No, that's for emergencies." Tsuna said. "A simple bite is nothing."

"What did the fox say before he left?" I asked.

"He said to follow him." Tsuna said. "But he ran off."

"How can we help?" I asked. "And aren't we on a quest?"

"We don't have any leads though." Tsuna said.

"And it wouldn't hurt for us to help." Percy said. Of course he would, he's a natural hero.

That was when the Kitsune came back. It said something in Japanese, which Tsuna translated and said that it told them to hurry up. We walked in its direction, keeping it in our sights. I saw that it was limping and I whispered it to Tsuna. We caught up to the fox, which was drinking water out of a crystal clear stream that only had snow on it. The three of us bent down and took long drinks.

Tsuna then dunked his hand in the water and it was healed when he pulled it out. The Kitsune was next to Tsuna, still drinking. I saw that Tsuna was looking at the fox's hurt leg. It looked like it was burned. Tsuna placed his still wet hand on the burned leg, causing the fox to jump slightly. But it soon relaxed and smiled. When Tsuna removed his hand, the burn was healed.

"Arigatō." the Kitsune said.

"You're welcome." Tsuna said. He reached to touch the fox again. The Kitsune sniffed his hand, and then nuzzled it. Tsuna petted and scratched its head. "Say, what's your name?"

"Kurama." the fox said.8

"Nice to meet you Kurama." Tsuna said. "I'm Tsuna, this is Percy and Nico."

"Naze karera wa watashi ni hanashi o shinai?9" Kurama asked. Tsuna chuckled.

"What did he say?" Percy asked.

"He's wondering why you two don't talk to him yourself." Tsuna explained.

"We didn't know he wanted to talk to us." Percy said. He reached forward to pet Kurama. Kurama sniffed his hand "Hi Kurama, it's nice to meet you."

"Ha ha ha." laughed Kurama childishly. He hopped to Tsuna's shoulder. "Anata wa umi no yōna nioi. Dakara Tsuna wa arimasen!"10

"We smell like the ocean." translated Tsuna. Kurama looked at me now.

"Hi…" I said. I reached to pet him and he sniffed me. He said something in Tsuna's ear.

"Kurama, that's way too dark." Tsuna said.

"What did he say?" I asked.

"He said that you smelled like a freshly dug grave." Tsuna said. "I don't think it was a nice thing to say though."

"Don't worry about it." I said. "Percy says that Blackjack and the other Pegasi say I smell like a corpse, so if I smell like a grave I guess I smell better."

"It's true." Percy said. We all looked at him. "I mean about Blackjack."

"Right." Tsuna said. "Kurama, take us to where you need help."

Kurama nodded and jumped off Tsuna's shoulder. He led us through the forest. The closer we got to where we were heading, the warmer is got. The snow was even melting and there was a whole lot of green. Kurama came to an abrupt stop, his ears pointed and his head cocked to the side.

"What is it Kurama?" Tsuna asked. Kurama ran to the side, and listened.

"Kakusu!" Kurama yelled.

"Hide." Tsuna said. We then heard a dull buzzing noise. "Hide!"

We dove to the side and hid in the bushes. The buzzing got louder and louder, till it was right over us. Kurama climbed to the top of my head, and watched. I looked up and saw large wasps, about the size of Kurama. They had huge red eyes and a large, sharp, stinger.

"Saimyōshō." whispered Kurama.

"Hell wasps." Tsuna translated.

"What are they?" Percy asked. Kurama started to explain, so Tsuna translated again.

"Their minor demons who are more of a threat as a swarm." Tsuna said. "They… they... Slow down Kurama! Okay, Kurama says they died out decades ago, and that he hasn't seen one since early last century."

"Last century?" I asked. "How old are you Kurama?"

"He says he's a little over three hundred years old." Tsuna said.

"You're that old?" I wondered. "You don't look it."

"Anata ga mitame yori toshiue no kaori ga shimasu.11" Kurama whispered after sniffing my hair for a minute.

"He said that you smell older than you look." Tsuna said. "I guess that's what happens when you're displaced in time."

I felt bad when Tsuna said that. I didn't like being reminded that I was forced into the Lotus Hotel. Tsuna saw that I looked sad so he apologized. After the Saimyōshō buzzed off, we crawled out of the bushes and continued to follow Kurama, who was giving verbal directions while he was on my head. More and more snow was melted and it was getting really warm, like summer. The more we walked, the more I noticed that there were silver stings hanging from the trees. From the look of it, it looked like silk.

"Great." Percy said after seeing a large clump of silk. He reached to brush it out of the way. "More spiders."

"Yamete!12" yelled Kurama. He jumped from my head to Percy's shoulder. He bit his sleeve and made him pull his arm back. "Shiruku wa hi no yō ni moeru!13"

"What do you mean it burns?" Tsuna asked. "Is that how you got that burn?"

Kurama nodded. He said something, and Tsuna told us that the silk came from something much worse than a spider. A moth. I don't know how a moth was worse than a spider, but I have seen weirder things since I found out I was a demigod.

The silk was getting thicker and thicker as we walked. It was so thick that we had to use our swords to cut our way through. We then arrived in a clearing, which was when Kurama told us to duck. A whole bunch of Saimyōshō passed by us, then a group of lizard like creatures that Kurama identified as minor demons passed us as well.

We crouched and walked around the clearing, following the demons. They were all gathering around an old shrine that fell apart ages ago. Sitting on the broken down shrine and covered by silk was a really large bird, that had dusty red feathers. It looked like it was in pain.

Standing in front of the bird was a man. He has two long, red antennae which protrude from the top of his forehead. Below these he has two vertical stripes which point inward towards the center of his brow. He also has a light purple area of skin surrounding both of his red eyes. His blue-green hair is kept neatly behind his ears, with only two thin tufts hanging down in front of either of his pointed ears. With his pale skin and long teeth, he looked like a vampire.

He was also wearing weird clothes, almost like armor. It is a mixture of dark-green and blue, with various lines of gold. The poleyn-like skirting of his armor has alternating blue and green stripes, giving off a look reminiscent of an insect's abdomen. To add on to the bug appearance, the cape is hemmed at the edges, and split down the middle, strongly resembling insect wings.

"Ue ni kite, sudeni suitai suru. Watashi wa minami no aratana kōken'nin ni naritai.14" the man said impatiently.

The bird didn't respond. With a grunt of annoyance he pulled out a sword and went for the kill. Kurama saw and ran to the bug like man. We all tried to stop him, but he was too fast. By the time we stood up Kurama had already chomped on the bug guy's ankle. With a grunt he kicked Kurama off and stepped on his tails.

"Kurama!" I yelled out.

This caused all the demons, Saimyōshō, and the bug guy to turn and look at us. There was no going back now. We stood up and ran to help Kurama. We sliced and stabbed any demon that we got in our way, turning them to dust. Well, in my case, their life essence was absorbed into my sword. I saw Tsuna get separated from us. He more than likely went straight for Kurama.

A couple of the lizard demons clawed at Percy, but they only ripped his clothes. He should thank me for giving him the idea for the Curse of Achilles. With a swipe of his sword the demons turned to dust. Percy and I regrouped and fought our way to Tsuna. Percy kneeled down and picked up Kurama who had moved away from the bug guy. Tsuna himself finally got to the bug guy. He swung his sword, but the bug guy blocked him with his own sword.

"Oh, it's you." I heard the bug man say in perfect English.

"You know me?" Tsuna asked.

"How can I not?" said the bug guy. "You're all Shojobo talks about. If I take you now, then I will be in his good favor."

"Menōmaru wa chūi shite kudasai! Kare wa hontōni tsuyoidesu!15" Kurama yelled at Tsuna.

"Whose good favor?" Tsuna asked, getting into a defensive stance.

"No one you want to get angry, trust me." Menōmaru said while he flicked his hair. I heard more buzzing and from under his cape moths and Saimyōshō came out. The swarmed around the entire clearing. "Get them."

* * *

**1. Cursed, the land is cursed! The forest is angry, angry at everything!**

**2. We need to fight!**

**3. But it's our home! The Guardian is in trouble!**

**4. Please! I can't fight the demon by myself!**

**5. Ow! That hurt!**

**6. You were in my territory!**

**7. Heroes? Then you can help! Follow me!**

**8. How many of you expected this to be the name? Sorry, but I'm not that creative when it comes to names.**

**9. Why don't they talk to me?**

**10. You smell like the ocean. So does Tsuna!**

**11. You smell older than you look.**

**12. Stop!**

**13. The silk burns like fire!**

**14. Come on and fade already. I want to be the new guardian of the South.**

**15. Be careful of Menōmaru! He's really strong!**


	12. Chapter XII Nico

**Please enjoy and review.**

* * *

**Chapter XII Nico**

The moths and Saimyōshō came right at us. I used the shadows to and had them become solid, and then shot them out like spikes. I took out several Saimyōshō and the moths. The moths were real annoying, and were probably there to be a distraction. A couple of the lizard demons came rushing at me, so I created a crack in the ground that pulled them to the Underworld.

Percy was creating a wind storm that was spinning the bugs around. When they got close he would slice them with Riptide. He even used the melted snow to propel himself into the air and turn the demons into piles of dust with each swipe of his sword. Kurama helped by jumping from Saimyōshō to Saimyōshō, biting and scratching them while he rode the wind that Percy created.

I saw the way Tsuna was fighting Menōmaru. He was giving him everything he got, using some of the Kendo and Fencing techniques that he showed me, but the moth guy looked like he wasn't trying. He looked really calm, dodging and blocking each of Tsuna's attacks.

"You need a few more centuries of training to get up to my level Tsunayoshi." Menōmaru said.

"Your pride will be your downfall." Tsuna said. "And the name's Tsuna!"

Tsuna angled his sword in his right hand, and raised his left hand. He then jabbed his sword at Menōmaru really fast. Menōmaru deflected Tsuna's attack without any effort and pushed Tsuna away after the clashed swords. His finger nails glowed a sickly green color and went to stab Tsuna with his hand, but Tsuna created a shield of solid water. I then made the black walls of Erebos tightly surround Menōmaru.

Tsuna stood up and went to stab Menōmaru, while Kurama jumped to attack him from behind. But when the two of them got close Menōmaru turned into a swarm of moths and escaped from the trap. Kurama had already jumped and went straight through the swarm and collided with Tsuna. They both fell to the ground and Tsuna's sword slid near the bird. Menōmaru reformed and went to pick up Tsuna's sword. But as his hand got close to the handle, he pulled back as something sparked around it.

"A barrier." Menōmaru said in annoyance. "Damn it, why can't my job be easier?"

"Didn't you learn not to touch things that aren't yours?!" Percy asked as he ran up to Menōmaru.

Menōmaru turned around and drew his sword. His sword was a bit longer than Percy's so he was able to stab him. But he didn't know Percy was invulnerable and his sword only cut into Percy's clothes. Before Percy's sword could reach him, Menōmaru disappeared again.

"Are you alright?" I asked as I helped Tsuna up.

"Yeah I'm fine." Tsuna said. "Angry yes, but I'm fine. All those years spent training in two different styles of swords play, and he acted like I was nothing."

"At least you didn't get hurt." I said. "I saw you handle the Saimyōshō and the other demons. Good job. I didn't know you could use shadows like that."

"Thanks." I said. "Darkness is part of Dad's domain."

"I'm surprised you didn't summon the dead." Percy said. He handed Tsuna his sword. "Though the last time you did it you nearly died."

"I've gotten better at using my powers since then Percy." I said. Kurama came up to me and hopped to Tsuna's shoulder. "How are you feeling Kurama?"

"He's fine." Tsuna said, scratching him behind the ears. "He's angry that Menōmaru got away."

"How should we help the bird?" I asked.

"Maybe we should cut off the silk." Percy said. "It must be the same stuff that burned Kurama."

"You're right." Tsuna said. "Let's get cutting."

We got walked closer to the bird, and it was in worse shape in the little time since I last looked at it. Its feathers were a dull red and turning gray. Its face was tucked into its wing, probably to protect itself. I just now noticed that the bird was emitting a lot of heat. It must be the reason why there was no snow in the area. Before we could start cutting the silk, strange purple powder started to fall on us.

"What's this stuff?" Percy asked. Then I started to cough really badly. "Nico are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm *cough*" I started to say. I coughed again and when I moved my hand back there was blood on it. "By the gods…"

"Nico, what's wrong?" Tsuna said. He walked over to me and stumbled on his feet. As he fell he stabbed his sword into the ground and used it as support. That's when Percy started shaking and his nose started bleeding. "What's going on?"

"Doku no hōshi!1" Kurama coughed out. We all started coughing violently. My vision was starting to get blurry.

"If you want to live, give me that sword." Menōmaru said from above us. "If not, allow my poison to kill you. Even the invulnerable one will die."

"You *cough, cough, cough* want my sword?" Tsuna asked. "You can just *cough* go to Hell!"

"Insolent child!" Menōmaru said. "I'll just have to rip it from your dead body."

He increased the amount of the purple powder, coating us in it. It was getting hard to breath. I heard him draw his sword from its sheath. I tried to make a shield for us using the black walls of Erebos, but I couldn't concentrate. Menōmaru screamed as he attacked. I felt so helpless, and dying by poison is something Dad will yell at me for when I'm in the Underworld. Maybe he'll let Percy and Tsuna get into Elysium.

"Watashitachi o tasukete!2" I heard Kurama yell.

I felt a really intense heat from behind me. My breathing became smoother and my sight became clearer. I picked myself up and saw the others bathed in fire. I was going to help them when I noticed that the flames were on me too. I tried to beat them away, but I realized that they weren't hurting me. The flames spread across the entire clearing, burning away the purple powder.

"Why don't you die you damn bird?!" Menōmaru said. I heard a loud sound, like a bird squawking, and I saw a pillar of fire head straight for Menōmaru. Menōmaru dodged the flames. "Our time will come bird."

Menōmaru turned into a swarm of moths again and flew off. Tsuna picked himself, with his sword going back into being a ring, and came over to check if I was okay. He was really worried, but I assured him I was alright. Percy was okay too. Kurama shook himself then walked over to where the bird was and bowed. The three of us turned around and I saw the most amazing bird I have ever seen. Earlier it looked really old, but now it seems that it had new life in it. Instead of having dust red feathers, it now has feathers of red, orange, yellow and gold. The feathers were even moving like fire. The bird had this aura too, like it radiated gold light.

"Thank you." The bird said. "It is good to meet those with kind hearts. Please, have a seat."

"So…" Tsuna said as the three of us sat on the ground. Kurama came over and laid down next to Tsuna. "Who, or what, are you exactly?"

"Anata wa sono yōna watashitachi no shujin ni hanashi o suru koto wa dekimasen! Ikutsu ka no ten no Tsuna o miseru!3" Kurama yelled, practically pouncing on Tsuna.

"Kurama, don't talk to our new friends like that." The bird scolded. "Young Tsunayoshi-"

"Please, for the love of the gods, call me Tsuna." begged Tsuna.

"Forgive me." The bird said. "But to answer your question, I am the Guardian of the South, the embodiment of Summer and Flame. I am Suzaku, the phoenix."

"A phoenix?" I asked. "What's a phoenix?"

"I don't know." Percy said. "I never heard of them before."

"A phoenix is a very powerful bird, as well known as the dragons." Tsuna exclaimed. "They represent rebirth and regeneration, because when they die in flames, they are reborn in the ashes."

"You are very wise for someone so young." Suzaku said.

"But I read about you," Tsuna said as he pulled out the book I gave him for Chiron, "In this book. It says that there are four guardians, each one representing the four directions and the seasons. There's you, a tiger, a turtle, and a dragon."

"There were four of us." Suzaku said, drooping his head. "But now there's only me. The others have faded."

"Faded? Like what happened to Pan?" I wondered.

"Yes, Son of Hades." Suzaku said. Before I could ask him how he knew who my dad was, he continued talking. "Your Pan's fading is exactly what is happening to our kind. It's sad too, as Seiryu was the last dragon in our pantheon."

In the corner of my eye I saw Tsuna flex his hand. He must have hurt it when he was fighting Menōmaru. While talking to Suzaku, I saw his feathers begin to lose their luster.

"So, are you like a god or something?" Percy asked.

"We are considered gods, but we are nowhere near as powerful." Suzaku said. "Tsuna, may I see you sword?"

"Uh, sure." Tsuna said. He held out his hand, his ring turning into water and coiling around his hand, until his dragon designed sword was in his hand. He held it out and let Suzaku look at it.

"Can it be?" Suzaku muttered under his breath.

"What?" Tsuna asked, pulling his sword back and allowing it to turn back into his ring. "What is it?"

"And what do you mean?" Percy asked.

"Nothing Son of Poseidon." Suzaku said. I had this gut feeling that he knew something that he wasn't telling us. "So what brings the Greeks to Japan?"

"We were given a prophecy from our new Oracle." I said. "The prophecy said something about gathering three treasures and defeating some Oni King."

"Three treasures?" Suzaku said. "The Three Sacred Treasures of Japan?"

"That sounds like the prophecy." Tsuna said. "What are they?"

"The Three Sacred Treasures are the most powerful artifacts in our Pantheon." Suzaku explained. "They belong to the three gods who ruled over Japan. There is a mirror, the Yata no Kagami, which belonged to the god of the moon Tsukuyomi, a jewel called the Yasakani no Magatama that belonged to our queen Amerterasu the sun goddess, and a sword named the Kusanagi no Tsurugi under the ownership of the god of the sea Susanoo."4

"So these Sacred Treasures are like the symbols of power for our Big Three?" Percy wondered. "Zeus has the Master Bolt-"

"And my dad Hades has the Helm of Darkness-" I said.

"And Poseidon, Tsuna's and my dad, has the Trident." Percy finished up.

"How powerful are these Treasures?" Tsuna asked.

"From what I can remember, and know that I am old," Suzaku said, "The treasures are as powerful as your Big Three's symbols of power. At her weakest, Amerterasu dwarfed my powers at my peak. The Yasakani no Magatama, has the full power of the sun. Fitting for the sun goddess."

"Wait, wait, wait…" Tsuna said. "You said belonged. Does that mean…"

"Yes." Suzaku said. "The Noble Three have vanished. I fear they have faded ages ago, but as they are deities of the moon, sun, and sea, their essence always exists."

"But is the Noble Three have faded, what about the treasures?" Tsuna asked.

"I don't believe the Treasures have faded." Suzaku said. "Power of their magnitude is something that can never fade. The mortals even use replicas in the emperor's enthronement ceremony."

"But if fake ones are being used, where are the real ones?" I asked.

"I don't know." Suzaku said. "But items with as much power as the Sacred Treasures can draw the attention of supernatural beings, like our young Kurama."

"Watashi wa tasukeru koto ga dekimasu. Watashi wa, watashitachi o tasukeru tame ni anata-tachi no okagedesu.5" Kurama said while he looked up at Tsuna.

"Thank you Kurama." Tsuna said while he scratched him behind the ears. "He said that he'll help us."

"Thanks Kurama." Percy said

"Although I can tell you the general areas of two of the Treasures." Suzaku said.

"Only two?" I asked.

"The sword has been lost for ages," Suzaku explained, "But I have heard rumors over the decades about the Mirror and the Jewel. The Yasakani no Magatama, is said to be located in the Ama-no-Iwato. It is a cave that Amerterasu hid in after Susanoo terrified her. That would be a good place to start as it is somewhat close. Kurama will lead you."

"And the mirror?" Tsuna asked.

"The Yata no Kagami should be in the Mei Prefecture." Suzaku said. "The mortals believe that the mirror represents Amerterasu while the jewel represents Tsukuyomi, so they could have put it in their holiest shrine."

"Are you alright?" I asked. "You're looking weak, and your feathers are dulling."

"Anata wa daijōbudesuka?6" Kurama said as he got up and went close to Suzaku. From his tone, I could tell that Kurama was asking what was wrong himself.

"I'm Fading my little fox." Suzaku said. "I'm ready to join my friends."

"Watashitachi to issho ni shite kudasai. Watashi wa anata o ushinau koto wa dekimasen.7" Kurama begged, tears falling of his furry face.

"Do not cry for me, my little one." Suzaku said as he leaned his head down to Kurama. "After you lost your parents, I raised you myself. You were so brave for the past century. Please be brave to the young Heroes. Promise me."

Kurama nodded to Suzaku. I finally noticed something. Suzaku's life aura was dimming. When I first saw him after he saved us, his life aura looked like the hearth at Camp, but now it looks like dying embers.

"Tsuna, Percy, Nico," Suzaku said. "I believe in you. Before I disappear, I wish to give you three something."

"What is it?" I asked.

"For the two of you, I give this gift." Suzaku said. His eyes started glowing and fire erupted from his body. The flames circled around both mine and Percy's neck. I felt some heat in my throat, which disappeared.

"What happened?" Percy asked.

"I don't feel different." I said. "Do you?"

"You two don't look different." said a voice I didn't recognize. "But Percy's clothes are fixed up."

"Who said that?" I asked. I looked around, trying to find out who spoke. I looked to Tsuna for help, and I saw that he was staring at me with wide eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"You-your speaking Japanese." Tsuna said.

"No we're not, we're speaking English." Percy said.

"I don't think so." said the new voice. Kurama jumped to Tsuna's shoulder. "I know English when I hear it, and you two are speaking Japanese."

"Kurama, I can understand you!" Percy said.

"Me too!" I said happily.

"Yay!" Kurama said. He jumped from Tsuna's shoulder into my arms. "It's about time! I thought Tsuna was going to have translate all the time we're together."

"This will make the quest a bit more enjoyable." Tsuna said. Kurama crawled out of my arms and went over the Suzaku.

"Tsunayoshi…" Suzaku said.

"Please call me… never mind." Tsuna said.

"I have something special for you." Suzaku said. I saw his life aura concentrate into a small area on his wing. The feathers glowed with his life force, looking like fire. Suzaku plucked the feathers and gave them to Tsuna. Once they were in Tsuna's hand, a weird orange bubble formed around the feathers. "Take these, and use them only when you have no other option."

"Thanks…" Tsuna said after he put the feathers in his back pack. "But what do they- Suzaku?!"

Suzaku looked happy. I don't know why he was happy, because he was Fading. His entire lower body was gone and his torso was see-through. Soon his torso disappeared, leaving only his neck and head.

"I'm glad that I met _his_ son before I left this world…" Suzaku said as his last words in the living world.

Kurama was crying where Suzaku used to roost. We all felt sad. Tsuna went over to Kurama and picked him up. He petted Kurama to calm the fox. Tsuna put Kurama on his shoulder and scratched him behind the ears.

"We should get going." Tsuna said.

Percy and I nodded. We walked with him out of the clearing and into the forest. Percy pointed out that since Suzaku Faded, the entire forest felt colder. Snow didn't fall, but it still was really cold. It was good knowing that we had a clue to the prophecy. It was even better now we had an idea where we were supposed to go.

* * *

**1. Poison spores!**

**2. Help us!**

**3. You can't talk to our lord like that! Show some respect Tsuna!**

**4. I'm switching the mythology a bit. Here's my reasoning. I think the sun as a jewel, hence why Amerterasu has the Yasakani no Magatama. In reality, the moon reflects the sun's light, like a mirror, so that's why Tsukuyomi has the Yata no Kagami. It makes sense doesn't it?**

**5. I can help. I owe you guys for helping us.**

**6. Are you okay?**

**7. Please, stay with us. I can't lose you.**


	13. Chapter XIII Tsuna

**Sorry for the long hiatus. This last quarter of school was really hard and work gave me no time to work on any of my stories. **

** And by the time this is posted, I have read the Son of Sobek. It makes me think of when it comes in chronologically in both series. I believe it's placed after the Kane Chronicles and the Heroes of Olympus. What are your thoughts everyone?**

** And I have seen on Deviant Art many awesome pictures based around the Percy Jackson series, so if there are any aspiring artist who read this story, you can draw out your favorite scenes from this story. Just send me the final result when you're done and I'll give you a shout out!**

** Sorry if it seems a little short.**

** Please review and enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter XIII Tsuna**

We have been traveling through the woods for a couple of days now. The massive snowstorm that's covering Japan was steadily getting worse. Our jackets weren't really helping with the cold. Kurama was leading us along trails in the forest and he didn't go near any of the cities. But what I thought was weird is that we didn't encounter any monsters. Are they ignoring us, or are they plotting something?

"Hey Kurama, how much longer until we get to the cave?" Percy asked. He was rubbing his arms trying to get warm.

"About another couple of hours." Kurama said. He stopped walking and sniffed the air.

"It's getting colder." I said. The wind became fiercer and it felt like knives through my jacket. "We need to find some shelter. You might be able to keep warm with all your fur, but we need someplace warm."

"We can keep going." Nico spoke up. "We have a Quest to complete."

"But there is no way we can complete the Quest if we're frozen to death." I said. Nico and I glared at each other. "I'm not letting any of us freeze to death."

"…So I should find some shelter, or what?" Kurama asked after a few moments of heated silence.

"Yes!" I said.

"No!" Nico said at the exact same time. We glared at each other again.

"Uh…" Kurama said as he slowly backed away.

"Okay, how about I break this tie." Percy spoke up. "Kurama, please go find some shelter. And you two, stop fighting. What brought this on anyway? You two are supposed to be friends."

"He's acting immature!" I started as Kurama ran deeper into the forest.

"He's smothering me!" Nico yelled. Again, we were talking at the same time.

"How am I smothering you?" I asked.

"You're too over protective!" Nico admitted. "You're worse than Percy after Bianca died!"

"How is my protectiveness of my br…friend so bad?" I asked. "It just shows that I care for you."

"Why do you care about me?!" Nico demanded to know.

"Because I have no family left!" I yelled, my voice echoing across the quiet forest. "My mother is gone Nico, just like yours. I just recently gained Percy as a brother, and Tyson. Family is the only real thing I treasured in my life, since all I really had growing up was my mom. I know you're not used to being looked after, but you need to get used to the fact that it's going to happen."

Nico just glared at me again, but there seemed to be less anger in his eyes. Kurama then came bounding back to us and said that he found some shelter. We all walked in silence while Kurama led us to a large pine tree. We all gave Kurama a questioning look, so he knocked on the tree with his paw. The trunk of the tree slowly opened up, revealing it was hollow on the inside and much larger than expected.

"It's called a Wayward Pine. Nature Spirits like me are the few that know of them." Kurama explained. Then the three of us followed Kurama inside and saw that it was really dry in the tree and it was decently warm.

"A tree that's bigger on the inside." I said with a smile. "A wooden TARDIS, I love it."

"Ha ha ha ha!" Percy laughed, understanding my reference.

"Where are you going?" I asked Nico as he stood up.

"To get firewood." Nico responded.

"I'll help ya Nico." Percy said as he started to stand up.

"Alone." Nico added, and then the shadows of the night started to embrace him and he disappeared.

"Kurama, could you go look out for him?" I asked after few minutes.

"Yea, sure." The silver fox said. When he left, it was just me and Percy. Percy was curled up into a ball and staring off into space. He looked sad.

"What's wrong Percy?" I asked. "Going through Annabeth withdrawals?"

"Shut up." Percy said with a smile. "I'm just thinking."

"Well, penny for your thoughts." I said, trying to get him to talk.

"It's the Shinto gods." Percy said. "About them Fading."

"What about it?" I wondered.

"I still find it difficult to believe that someone as powerful as the gods can just disappear." Percy said. "I met the god Pan when I explored the Labyrinth and saw him Fade. It makes me think of what would happen is Dad Faded."

"Oh, I… I never thought about that." I said. No wonder Percy looked so down. I mean, Poseidon is far from my favorite being in the world, but I don't want him to disappear. "But if you think about it, everything in the world has an end. I guess even the gods have their time. But because belief is something that empowers the gods, maybe when Christianity came along, all the faith went to that one religion. Which by the way begs the question as to who really created the universe?"

"You're right. With our pantheon and then with the Shinto gods being real-" Percy started.

"Don't forget that Chiron mentioned that the Egyptian Gods are real too." I added.

"Uh huh. So, how did the world get created?" Percy wondered.

"In our line of work, we might find out one day." I said. "God knows I want to."

"So…" Percy said after a few moments of silence. "Do you still believe in God?"

"I'm…not sure, really." I said. "I mean, He must be real if Zeus and Dad are real, but considering all the things humanity alone has done, you would have thought that God would have intervened or something. Or even His angels."

"He could have done something when Kronos started the War too." Percy said.

Nico and Kurama returned not long after Percy and I talked. Nico was carrying an armful of sticks and he looked less angry. We lit the fire right outside the tree and took turns standing in front of it. Kurama found us some berries that he said were good, so we ate them and the rest of the cookies Sally made for us. After we had something on our stomachs, we took out the blankets we packed and wrapped up and eventually fell asleep.

The next day we actually encountered a road. As we walked alongside it we saw a bus and signaled it to pull over. I hid Kurama in my backpack so the other passengers wouldn't freak out. Then again, with the Mist in effect, who knows what Kurama would have looked like to Mortals? Maybe a cat or a puppy. I smiled at the thought, thinking it funny for some reason.

We rode on the bus for several hours. During the trip Kurama whispered to me that we were still going the right direction towards the Sacred Treasure. We soon found ourselves in the city of Takachiho. Kurama was acting crazy. He said that it had something to do with the large amount of spiritual energy in the area.

We decided that we needed a hotel, so we found a nice one not far from the bus station. It was rather simple, compared to the one we stayed at in Kagoshima. To summarize, it was more rustic. Before we checked in though, we decided to get some supplies, like food (mainly power bars and bottled water) and clean clothes. I was happy to see Percy and Nico enjoying that they can speak and understand Japanese. When I was paying for the stuff, Percy pointed out that a couple of school girls were flirting with Nico and he was blushing madly.

When we finally checked in, we had to convince the hotel manager that Kurama was Nico's stuffed animal and that he never goes anywhere without him. I don't think Nico liked the fact we made him seem more childish than he really is. After a cleaning up and a couple of hours rest, we went to a shrine that overlooked a ravine. Kurama said that his senses were on overdrive the closer we got to the shrine, and we found out that within the ravine, next to a beautiful river, was the Ama-no-Iwato.

The shrine offered a tour, so we took it. The priest who gave us the tour told us the story of Amerterasu and the cave. Apparently, she hid in the cave because she was upset over what Susanoo did. Then again, I guess even I would have run away is someone had thrown a skinned horse into my house. Then the other Shinto gods, in order to get her out of hiding, through a party and tricked her into believing they were celebrating a goddess that was more bright and beautiful than Amerterasu, so in her jealousy she came out of the cave and released her light into the world.

We were then led to an observation deck that was behind the shrine's main building. When we stood on the deck, Kurama practically went wild in my backpack. We were near the Treasure for sure. From the deck, the priest walked us around the area, where he pointed out that one could access the river through trail. When I asked him if we could go to the cave, he said access to it was forbidden. While that could have been a potential problem, we would easily be able to sneak our way through.

After the tour, we went back to the hotel. I wanted us rested up for whatever we encounter in that cave. With all of what Percy told me about his Quests, something as powerful as the Three Sacred Treasures have to be protected by something.

That night we snuck out of the hotel and headed towards the shrine. It was easier than I expected, all things considered. We took a bus and got about a mile away from it so we had to walk the rest of the way, which wasn't a bad thing. At least there was a full moon to light our way. When we got the shrine there was a priest who was walking around carting a lantern and muttering something. Nico quickly grabbed both mine and Percy's hands and had darkness cover us. It felt really cold in the darkness, as if the shadows sucked away the heat.

"…damned spirits." said the priest as he walked by. "I'm not going senile. I know what I hear, and it's those damned spirits! Always whispering when I'm by the river."

"What was that all about?" Percy asked as the shadows dispersed around us.

"I don't know, but let's keep an eye out." I said. I opened my back pack and Kurama jumped out. His fur was puffed out, so the three of us tried to repress our laughter.

"Don't say a single word." Kurama warned as he tried to look less…fluffy. "The energy from the Treasure is immense here, and it's driving my senses wild."

"Okay then." I said with a smirk. "I guess it's good that we don't have any girls with us. I think even Clarisse would squeal if she saw how cute you looked all puffed up and fluffy."

Kurama playfully nipped at my heel as we started to walk down the trail into the ravine. It didn't take much time to reach the river. I was surprised to see how pure and clean the water is. I knelt to touch it and felt such pure energy in it. For a moment I thought something was moving on my hand, but when I looked at my hand there was nothing there, only my ring.

We walked along the river for a little bit. It wasn't long until we started seeing countless piles of rocks. The farther we walked the taller the piles became. After a while, we saw the cave on the other side of the river. It was like a huge gaping mouth of darkness. Just outside the cave was something that the priests called a Hachiman Torii1. It was made with wood and was painted in a deep red. Two torches hung near the center of the arch.

"That looks inviting." I said sarcastically.

"Did you expect a 'Please enter and take the Treasure' sign?" Percy asked. I just raised an eyebrow to Percy's comment. "I'll take that as a no."

I grabbed Kurama and put him on my shoulder. Then we all walked through the water (which came half way up our calves) and headed to the cave. We were half way cross the river when the voices came.

"The Sea is coming, the Sea is coming." The voices said. The voices surrounded us on all sides. Percy's sword instantly appeared in his hand. "The Sea is coming."

"What in Dad's name-?" Nico asked. He looked down and jumped back. "AHH!"

Percy and I rushed over to see what happened. Seeing that he was fine, I started to head back towards the cave when I felt something touch my leg. Looking down, I saw something that I only thought possible in horror movies. It was a large face floating in the water. And the face was talking! Then I saw the face move and noticed that it had claws and legs.

"Oh my Gods!" I yelled, practically jumping out of my skin. "What the Hell are those?!"

"Those are Heikegani." Kurama said. I looked around as Kurama talked and saw that there were hundreds of them, and they were really large. "Their crabs that have the faces of fallen samurai on the top of their shells. The mortals believe that they are regular crabs, but they are actually the reincarnations of fallen samurai who died Battle of Dan-no-ura. It's believed that their souls are cursed to constantly be reincarnated as these crabs forever."

"Why?" I asked.

"I don't know." Kurama said. "It happened way before I was born. And the thing is, I've been to the coast before and saw them and they were never this big. They must be feeding off the spiritual energy the Treasure is giving off."

"Whatever." Nico said as he stepped over one of the smaller crabs. "These things are creepy."

"The Ghost King thinks the face crabs are creepy." Percy said. "Huh, wait until Grover hears about this."

"Shut up Percy." Nico said as he trudged his way across the river. Percy and I, who were able to walk through the water as easy as we can walk on land, passed him. Then we heard a splash and Nico scream. "AHH!"

"Nico!" Percy and I said at the same time. We turned around and saw Nico had fallen in the river and was grasping onto his ankle.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked.

"My ankle!" Nico yelled. "The crab thing has my ankle!"

I looked down and saw that one of the Heikegani had crabbed Nico with its claw and wasn't letting go. As Nico tried to get it to let go, the Heikegani tightened its grip. I saw some of Nico's blood starting to flow out. Percy and I then grabbed the claw and started to pull, but to no avail.

"The Sea searches for the Moon, but She longs for the Moon. The Sea searches for the Moon, but She longs for the Moon." the Heikegani said.

"Let him go!" I said, ignoring the Heikegani. The crab tightened its grip even more and I saw a tear go down Nico's cheek. I got angry so I summoned my sword, the moonlight glinting off the blade. I pointed it right at the crab's fleshy shell. "I said let him go NOW!"

"The Dragon returns!" cried out the Heikegani cried out, its face of a shell even widening its eyes at the sight of my sword. It instantly let go of Nico and it and the rest of its kind scuttled off.

"What was that about?" Percy asked as he picked Nico up and supported him.

"Who knows?" I said as my ring went back into its ring form. "You okay Nico?"

"I'm fine." Nico said sternly. He pushed Percy away and tried to put weight on his ankle, but he couldn't. Percy supported him again. "My ankle is just…sore."

Percy helped Nico over to the mouth of the cave. I took out a piece of cloth and ripped it up. Then I tied it tightly around Nico's ankle. Percy took out some of the Ambrosia and pulled a piece off, then gave it to Nico. Nico took it and said his ankle felt a bit better after eating.

After patching Nico up we entered the cave. It was extremely dark, so we used our swords to guide our way. Kurama used something called Fox Fire, something that all Kitsune are able to use apparently, and ignited the tips of his three tails to help light the black cave. He ducked under low hanging rock ceilings, climbed over piles of rocks, walked around stalagmites.

We soon ended up in the rear of the cave and nowhere else to go. Thinking that there has to be something here we looked around. Kurama soon found a hole in the wall and went through it. He told us that it was big enough for Percy and I to crawl through, so after sending Nico in Percy and I went through. It was pretty tight, and there was a moment where I freaked out, but with the motivation of getting stuck and dying, I forced my way through. I swear I hate tight spaces now.

The other side of that crawl space was a lot more open. I could even hear the trickling of water. We rested for a bit, munching on a couple of the power bars and drinking some water. Then we continued to explore the cavern. After a while, we all heard something, like if there was something slithering around in here. Thinking that it was just the normal creatures that live in the cave, we ignored it. But that's when we heard the moaning.

"My Love, why must you hide from me?" moaned a voice that sounded remotely feminine and snake-like.

"What was that?" Nico asked, his voice a little shaky.

"I don't know," I said, "and I don't want to find out."

After we ran deeper into the cave, the sound of out footsteps echoing down the cave, we encountered a chamber that had a series of eight tunnels branching off into different directions.

"Which way Kurama?" Percy asked. Kurama went to the tunnel straight ahead of us, but then bounded to the one of the other tunnels to the right, and then to the left.

"Kurama?" I asked, worried about him.

"I…I can't tell." Kurama said. "It's like the Treasure is in the direction of all the tunnels."

"There must be a way." I said. "Look around for a clue or something guys."

We all went to inspect each tunnel entrance. I took the three on the far left. The first two I found nothing. The others yelled out that they didn't find anything either. Then the slithering started to get louder, as if there was something getting closer. I hurried up and inspected the last tunnel. Feeling around the tunnel entrance, I found a carving. I didn't get a chance to inspect it, because the slithering became louder and the moaning voice returned.

"My love, where are you?!" screamed out the voice. Hearing the voice made me react.

"Guys, this way!" I yelled.

The others rushed towards me and we all ran down my tunnel. This tunnel twisted and curved and had sudden turns. The slithering became louder and the moaning became closer. We hoofed it, going as fast as we could. We nearly ran into a solid rock wall at the end of the tunnel, which opened up into a large open room. A dead end.

"Great, just great!" Kurama complained after we entered the room and backed up against the wall. "We are so dead now!"

"You sure to like to look on the bright side of things!" Percy said.

With my back against the wall, I felt indentions. I turned around and using the light that was emitted from my sword, saw that it was a phase carved into the wall. I asked Kurama to brighten his flames so I can see the phrase better, but before I could read it, whatever was moaning entered the chamber. I turned around and saw that it had glowing yellow eyes. The being leaned forward, and with the light from our swords and Kurama's Fox Fire, we saw a pretty face of a woman. She leaned forward a bit more, revealing she was wearing an extravagant kimono. But then I saw the source of the slithering. It was a sickly yellow tail, like a snake, in the place of her legs.

"My love, why do you hide from me still?" asked the creature. She was looking past the four of us, as if we weren't really there, and was staring right at the wall. "I wish to be in your light again!"

The four of us stood very still, trying not to get her attention. I was hoping the light from our swords and Kurama's Fox Fire wouldn't catch her eye. But luck wasn't on our side as she finally gazed down at us.

"Who are you?!" demanded the serpentine woman. "How dare you enter the presence of my love?!"

"We're from America." I spoke up. "The three of us are on a Quest from our pantheon, the Greek Gods."

"Greek Gods?" the creature said. She leaned down and started sniffing us. She stuck out a forked tongue and waved it around all of us.

"Get your tongue away from me." Nico threatened when the forked tongue got to him. After sniffing the Son of Hades, the woman reeled back in disgust.

"You reek of death!" screamed the woman. She showed her fangs, revealing that they were extremely sharp. She then warily smelled me and Percy. Kurama, despite being really brave usually, hid behind me. "But you two smell of two different seas. You smell of a sea far away, but you have the smell of the seas of Japan."

"I didn't know oceans had different smells." Percy said leaning into my ear.

"I don't care what Pantheon you belong to!" screamed the creature. "You will not take my love away from me!"

The woman pulled back and showed off her fangs again. As she attacked, Nico put up a black stone wall between us and the snake woman. I heard her slam against the rock and I saw some small rocks fall from the ceiling.

"Tsuna read that inscription now!" Nico said. His face was scrunched up. He was concentrating really hard and must be giving his all to keep the wall up through the constant pounding of the creature. "There must be something that can get us out of here!"

"Nico's right." Percy said. "If that wall falls, I'll hold her off for as long as I can."

"Right." I nodded. I turned around and read the inscription. As I read the kanji, they started to glow in a silvery light, and the pounding became louder. The phase said:

"_Those who seek the power within must Wisely unlock the door through the moon."_

"What the-?" I asked aloud. "What the Hell am I supposed to do with this?!"

"Hurry!" Nico said his voice strained. I looked over and saw that he was on a knee, breathing heavily. I saw that his wall was cracking. I even heard the creature screaming from the other side.

"Kurama!" I yelled. "Look for a moon carving in the wall. That's the clue to the whole thing!"

"Got it!" the silver Kitsune said as he started to look around.

My heart was pounding. There was no way I was going to die in a cave. I rushed as I looked around. I moved my hand along the wall, using the light from my sword to find a moon indention. I soon heard Nico yelp and his wall fell apart. Percy screamed as he attack the creature and he held her off.

In my hurry I nearly missed the indention, but I went back to it quickly. It was a crescent moon, surrounding a small space. Placing my sword next to it to mark the location, I ran to grab Nico and dragged him to the moon indention. Percy was having a difficult time fighting the creature. Despite her large size she was very fast.

I inspected the small space within the crescent moon. It appeared deeper than I originally thought. Then I thought about the phrase. _"Those who seek the power within must Wisely unlock the door through the moon." _The wall must be a door, so the moon must be a keyhole.

"I need a Keyblade." I said sarcastically. "So if this is a keyhole, what's the key?!"

I was getting nervous and my heart was pounding in my ears. Without a key, this door would never open and we would get killed by the snake woman. Kurama came up and said that it looked like a sword was stabbed into the wall. Willing to try anything, I brought my sword next to the indention and my sword started glowing brighter. Before I could insert my sword into the wall I heard Percy grunt and he was tossed into the wall. He slid down and was unconscious.

"Stay away from my love!" screamed the creature. I turned around, sword in hand, and slashed. She screamed and clutched her face. "My face! How will my love bare to see me now?!"

She screamed in fury and attacked. I jumped out of the way so the snake woman slammed into the ground. The cave shook and more rocks fell. The snake woman thrashed about, cracking the cave walls. She was causing a cave in!

"Tsuna, use the sword!" screamed Kurama.

I ran back to the wall. The rocks and stalactites fell and the cave cavern was falling apart. I got to the indention and stabbed my sword through it as the creature pounced at me. The moment my sword was fully sheathed into the wall, brilliant and intense silver light started to expel from the keyhole. Soon the silver light began to encompass the wall and surround all of us.

I couldn't see at all. The light was too bright. With the light came a weird pulling sensation, like I was being pulled somewhere. I blindly reached out and tried to feel for Nico or Kurama or Percy, but I couldn't find them. I prayed that whatever door I unlocked would lead to somewhere safe on the other side.

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**1. A Hachiman Torii is a Japanese arch that has two lintels in a downwards slant.**


	14. Chapter XIV Tsuna

** Please review and enjoy.**

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**Chapter XIV Tsuna**

My hand was wet. And cold. I thought I was in the cave, away with any real water. What happened exactly? I remember that snake lady and the silver light enveloping me. I was also so comfortable. The cave was cold, but where ever I was now, it was a pleasant temperature with a nice breeze and it made me a bit sleepily.

"-na…sun…Tsun..." I heard. I felt like I was being shaken. "Tsuna!"

"Mmm…hmm." I moaned groggily. I was shaken a bit more roughly. Then I felt something licking me. I swatted whatever was licking me away. But then something bit my other hand. "OW!"

I woke up right away. The first thing I saw was that we were all on a straight wooden bridge in the middle of a lake that stretched as far as the eye could see with the purest water I have ever seen. The water looked like it had a silver tint to it because in the distance I saw the full moon and its light was shining everywhere. I glanced around and was grateful to see that Nico and Kurama were okay. They didn't look hurt. My hand was bleeding a bit and I figured out that Kurama bit me. I stuck my hand in the water and watched it heal.

"Did you have to bite me?" I asked after I pulled my hand out of the water. I glanced over at me ring and saw that it was glowing faintly.

"We've been trying to wake you for about twenty minutes." Nico said. "We were afraid that you were hurt."

"So biting me was the best choice?" I asked.

"Well you didn't wake up." Kurama said. "And it worked didn't it?"

"Where's Percy?" I wondered, ignoring Kurama.

"He went to scout out the castle." Nico said.

"Castle?" I asked. "What castle?"

Nico pointed down the bridge. I know that when I first looked there was nothing but the moon (which by the way looked really, really big) but now there was this palace. Even from here, I could tell the palace was made out of wood, and it was either painted silver or it was just the trick of the light. All around the palace was a grove of willow trees. I then noticed that the moon perfectly reflected on the water.

"That wasn't there before." I said.

"It's been there since Percy woke up." Nico said. He handed me a bottle of water and I drank from it heavily. "Look at it, its huge! How could you have missed it?"

I didn't respond to him as I stood up. I stretched and felt my bones pop, and it felt great. The three of us walked down the bridge, with Kurama 'leading' Nico and I, and headed toward the palace. The moon appeared to get bigger as we walked closer to the palace. I looked around and saw that there were other willow trees dotting the lake.

The closer we got to the palace the closer the willow trees grouped together and the taller they got. They were so close that I could actually see each individual leaf. And they were naturally silver in color, not from the moon's light. And the palace wasn't reflecting the moon's light; it was made out of silver wood.

"Hey Kurama, have you seen or smelled that creature that attacked us?" I asked.

"I haven't." Kurama said.

"What was that anyway?" Nico asked.

"It looked like a Kiyohime." Kurama said.

"A what?" asked Nico.

"A Kiyohime." Kurama explained. "A woman who turned into a demon because she was in love, but she was separated from them because of either war, death, or the other person ditched them. The most common way is that she chases down the one she loves and grows angry over time."

"So they turn into demons because they were dumped?" I wondered. "Yeesh."

We arrived at the palace and I was amazed by how tall it was. There were mosaics of battles and other significant events in Japanese history. When we arrived at a large door, Percy came around the corner.

"Hey Tsuna!" Percy said. "Glad to see you up and running."

"You too." I said. We gave each other high fives. "Do you remember what happened?"

"After the silver light, I woke up and then got Nico up." He explained. "I tried to get you up, but you were knocked out. I put Nico and Kurama in charge in watching you until you woke up so I could go scout the area."

"What did you find?" Nico asked.

"Well, this is the only place I could find that we can enter." Percy explained. "I went all around this place, and I couldn't even find any windows."

"So how do we get in?" Kurama asked.

"I…have no clue." Percy said. "I tried pulling it open, pushing, sliding the door, and even stabbing it with Riptide. Nothing's working."

"Uh…have you tried knocking?" I asked after a moment of silence. "And asking for permission to enter?"

"What?" Percy asked.

"Well, it won't hurt to try, would it?" I said.

"Go ahead dude." Percy said, throwing his hands up. I walked up to the door and knocked four times.

"I, Tsunayoshi Noble, would like to request permission to enter this household with my friends." I said, trying to be as civil as possible. At first nothing happened, but then the door slowly opened up with a loud creaking noise. Shrugging my shoulders, I motioned them to follow.

Entering the palace revealed that it was really empty. I mean, there was nothing in here! Not even any tapestries. It was like some the shrines we had seen since we came to Japan. There were only lanterns hanging from the ceilings to light the interior.

We walked for a long, long, LONG time inside the palace, just through one hallway. Like the Wayward Pine, the palace was bigger on the inside. The hallway was stretching for like, eternity. And because there was nothing in here to mark locations, everything looked the same. We all rested several times, but the hallway just stretched onwards. I must have been getting exhausted, because I started seeing things. And I don't think I was the only one, because Nico was standing still, talking to the air.

"Nico, are you alright?" I wondered.

"Bianca." Nico said, tearing up. Then he looked to his left and the tears just came. "Mama?"

"Nico, snap out of it." I said, trying to shake him awake. "Percy, I need you hel- Percy?"

"Annabeth, what are you doing here?" Percy said to no one. "What's wrong? What do you mean? Luke is dead!"

"Percy, what is going on?!" I demanded to know. Then Percy drew Riptide and pointed it at the air.

"Kronos, how are you here? You're supposed to be in Tartarus!" Percy screamed as he slashed the air. I tried to stop him, but…then I started seeing Mom.

"M-Mom?" I said. I couldn't believe it. My mom was standing in front of me, alive. "How-?"

"It's alright sweetie." Mom said. "I'm here, mommy's here."

"Bu-But you…you di-" I stuttered to say, but couldn't finish it.

"It's alright, Tsuna." Mom said as she held out her arms for a hug. "Come to mommy."

I was frozen for a moment, and completely forgot about Nico and Percy. I slowly walked to Mom, ready to hug her. I put my arms around her. She was real, she was alive. I felt happier than I had in weeks.

But as soon as I started to enjoy seeing Mom again, I started to feel something wet. Curious, I stepped back and saw that she was soaking wet. Her skin looked clammy and grey. Water poured out of her mouth, like she was choking. I screamed and fell down. I back away as far as I could until I hit a wall. Then the hallway and my friends disappeared, leaving me underwater, watching Mom drown over and over. I clutched my head, trying to ignore her gurgled screams.

"Tsuna! Tsuna! Tsuna!" I heard somebody scream. I think it sounded like Kurama. They sounded both distant and right next to me. "Please snap out of it! It's just an illusion!"

"_An illusion?_" I thought.

"Sorry for doing this again." Kurama said as I felt something sharp bite my hand.

"OW!" I screamed as I clutched my hand. "Gods dammit Kurama!"

"At least that worked." Kurama said with a worried smirk. I looked around and Mom wasn't there.

"I hope it doesn't get infected." I said, rubbing my hand. I looked ahead and saw that Nico was curled up into a ball, crying and covering his ears. Percy was still fighting the air, but the way he acted it was as if he was getting hurt. "How long has this been going on?"

"I've been trying to get you to snap out of it for fifteen minutes." Kurama explained.

"Fifteen minutes?!" I screamed. "We need to get them out of the illusions!"

"How?" Kurama wanted to know. "I had to bite you to get you to see reality."

"I don't know, but we should wake Percy up first." I said. "He's a danger to everyone with Riptide out."

"Be careful." Kurama said as I started towards Percy. "I'll try to get Nico to wake up."

When I got close to him, Percy looked right at me. He scowled and lunged at me with a scream. My sword appeared in my hand and I parried his blows. His style was sloppy, because he was blinded by anger.

"Kronos!" Percy yelled. He sliced at me, but I beat his attack away.

"Percy calm down!" I yelled. "Kronos isn't here!"

"You took everything from me!" screamed Percy. He continued to slash at me and the force of his blows pushed me back. "Annabeth would never be your queen!"

"What are you talking about?!" I said as I defended myself. "You know better than anyone that Annabeth would never betray you like that!"

Percy and I were going at it for several minutes. I was getting tired, but Percy's Curse of Achilles was giving him the energy to keep fighting. I knew that if we kept this up I was going to lose. I had to end this quickly. Percy sliced at me again, but I caught his blade with mine and held it in place.

"I'm sorry Perce, but this is going to hurt." I said. I twisted Riptide out of Percy's hand and then when I got behind him I slammed the hilt of my blade into the back of Percy's head. The force pushed Percy into a wall, banging his forehead hard. He fell to the ground passed out.

"Mama!" Nico cried.

I turned around at the shock of him crying. His face was covered in tears and his eyes were swollen and red. I ran to Nico and got on my knees. He kept crying out for his mom and his sister Bianca. Whatever he was seeing, it was destroying him.

"Why haven't you woken him up?" I asked Kurama.

"I tried!" Kurama said.

"Did you try biting him?" I demanded.

"I was going to when he screamed." said Kurama. From my position I started to shake Nico.

"Nico, wake up." I said, trying to calm him down. I was trying to be as soothing as possible. "Nico, buddy, please snap out of it. It's not real. It's not real!"

But he kept crying, staring at the empty space that the illusion was in. I was getting desperate. I had seen enough sci-fi and documentaries to know that the mind is really sensitive. I apologized to Nico for what I was going to do next. I pulled my hand back and slapped Nico as hard as I can, his red cheek turning really red. It worked, and he stopped crying.

"Tsu-Tsuna?" Nico said quietly.

"Oh, thank the gods." I said, pulling him into a tight hug. "You're alright."

"Please, let go of me." Nico said as he struggled to get out of my grip.

"Not until you tell me what you saw." I bargained.

"W-Why?" he asked, his voice getting shaky.

"So I can understand." I said. "I have never seen you so scared, so…vulnerable. You're my best friend Nico."

Nico just sat there, unmoving in my arms. Then he hugged me back and cried on my shoulder. He told me what he saw. His mother and sister appeared before him. He said how at first they appeared normal, but as the vision went on he saw them decay. They were blaming him, saying that he could bring them back and go against Hyades's orders. I rubbed his back to calm him down. After several minutes he stopped crying. That was about the same time that Percy started to groan in pain and stood up.

"Ow." Percy said as he rubbed his forehead. "Jeez what hit me?"

"And here I thought you were invincible." I said as I stood up and assisted Nico up.

"Shut up." Percy said. "You hit me pretty hard."

"It was either knock you out, or let you run me through with Riptide." I said.

"So what happened exactly?" Percy asked.

"I don't know." I said. "But I think that whatever is hidden in this palace doesn't want us to get closer."

"If it's the Treasure, we should continue." Kurama said.

After we rested we continued down the hallway. We encountered several twists and turns. The deeper we walked down the hallways, they started to warp and contort. I became really dizzy and felt like I was going to be sick. I could tell that the others were dizzy too. I leaned against the wall for support. We fought through the dizziness (and I battled past the nausea) and continued our trek through the palace.

"How big is this place?" Nico asked. We were getting exhausted. "We've been walking for ages."'

"I'd rather walk than deal with those illusions." Percy said.

"Y'know, you never told us what you saw Percy." Kurama said.

"Kurama!" I chastised the three tailed fox.

"I just wanted to know." Kurama said. "You were swinging that sword of yours like a crazy person."

"It's alright Tsuna." Percy said. "I saw Annabeth. She told me she was leaving me for Luke, and when she ran into Luke's arms, his eyes turned gold, and he was possessed by Kronos. Then I saw him sitting in a black throne, with the bodies of the gods and all of my friends at his feet. He then threw Annabeth to the ground and fought me. He was stronger than I remembered, and I felt where his sword hit me, despite the Curse."

"Then when I tried to help you, you must have seen me as Kronos." I stated. "That's why you attacked me."

"Sorry about that, by the way." Percy said.

"Well, I did bang your head up pretty bad." I said. "Sorry."

We walked down more and more hallways. It was getting really boring. I wonder if this place was designed to make someone question their patience…or sanity. But then something happened. We were walking down the hallway, when the lanterns went out. Kurama lit his Fox Fire while the rest of us drew our swords and let their glow lighten the area a bit. It didn't give us much light, just a small area that covered the four of us.

Countless red eyes appeared in the darkness, surrounding us, and then blinked away. The lanterns lit themselves, bathing us in their light. We looked around for whatever made the red eyes, but there was nothing. We continued to walk onwards when we saw an open doorway. Feeling like we finally made some progress, we ran to it. But when we got close, smoke blew out from under the door way in an explosion. As the smoke cleared we all readied our swords.

The smoke dispersed, and blocking the door was four black clothed ninjas. And I'm serious when I say ninjas. They were posed, ready to attack with martial arts. More smoke blew up around us, leaving us surrounded by these ninjas.

"More illusions?" Nico asked in an annoyed way as he walked forward. One of the ninjas in the doorway threw a shuriken at Nico. My instincts reacted faster than my brain could think and I slammed my sword into the shuriken. There was a clang of metal against metal and some sparks flew from the contact.

"There not illusions!" I screamed.

The ninjas ran at us, drawing swords of their own and other weapons, like clawed gloves that were like brass knuckles and a sickle and chain. At least they were easy to beat. One hit was all it took to beat them, and when they were hit by our swords they blew up in a puff of smoke. But for every one we defeated, two more popped up in its place.

It was getting overwhelming for me and Nico. Percy was able to take a lot of them down thanks to the Curse of Achilles, but he was getting exhausted. He told me that the Curse, while giving one an increase in strength and stamina (among other things), it can cause extreme stress on the body. But thank the gods for his invulnerability, because the ninjas threw shurikens at him and the metal stars bounced off him.

We fought our way through the ninjas the best we could. We were able to get passed the ones that were blocking the doorway. The doorway led to another long hallway (much to my annoyance). The ninjas followed us through the hallway, using their skills (like running alongside the wall as if there was no gravity) to get ahead of us a couple of times. We mowed our way past them, but after running and fighting for so long we were soon surrounded again.

"What should we do now?" Nico asked as the four of us had our backs to each other. All of our breathing was staggered.

"No clue." I said. I looked at how much we were outnumbered, and almost gave up. But I looked at my sword and felt courage from within. "But I say if we go down, we go down fighting."

"Sounds like a plan." Percy said, spinning Riptide in his hand.

"On the count of three." I said.

"One…" Percy said, the ninjas stepping closer.

"Two…" said Nico as the ninjas drew their weapons.

"Thr-" I started when I heard loud moaning and the sound of a woman weeping.

"My love, I know you are here!" screamed the familiar voice. "Please come to me!"

"Oh no." The four of us said at the same time. Percy, Nico, and I exchanged glances.

As some the ninjas jumped in the air to strike, the Kiyohime crashed her way into the palace through the wall. Wood splintered everywhere. I tackled Nico to the ground while Percy scooped up Kurama and rolled out of the way. While I helped Nico up, I saw that the ninjas diverted their attention to Kiyohime. She was thrashing about, destroying many of the ninjas. The remaining ones attacked her with the shuriken and their own swords, but they didn't even scratch her.

"Let get going while they're distracted!" Kurama yelled as he bounded down the hall.

We all followed, pushing our bodies to the limit. We ran as fast as we could, me practically dragging Nico along. He really needed to join the Camp's activities more often, and if we all get out of this Quest alive, I am going to drag him into them. We soon found ourselves in a large room that had eight different hallways.

"Didn't we see something like this back at the cave?" Percy asked while he regained his breath.

"Right now, I don't care." I said. I could still hear Kiyohime's cries from here. And they sounded like they were getting closer. I pointed the hallway that was on the far right. "Let's head that way."

The others nodded in agreement and we ran down the hallway. After a couple of minutes we came to another room with eight hallways, but it looked really familiar. I pointed to the next hallway and we headed down it. But we entered a disturbingly similar room to the first. Before we headed down the third hallway, I used my sword to make a mark on the edge of the hallway entrance. We ran down the third hallway, where my suspicion was confirmed: we were going in circles.

"What's going on?" demanded Nico.

"It's the palace." I said. "It's causing us to go in circles."

"What will make it stop?" Kurama asked.

"Maybe it's a test." I said. "Maybe we have to find the right hallway, like the eight tunnels in the cave."

"Do you think it will work?" Percy asked. We all jumped when we heard Kiyohime scream in anguish.

"Not like we have another option." I said. "Look for something that the other hallways don't have."

"Got it." The others said in agreement. They ran to the entrances of the hallways and started looking. I didn't know what to look for in all honesty.

"Percy, tell me about the Labyrinth." I said, trying to get ideas for what I'm supposed to look for.

"Huh, why?" Percy asked.

"I remember you saying that there was a clue to the entrance." I said. "A mark or something."

"I think it was the letter Delta." Percy said. "The symbol for Daedalus."

"How is that going to help?" Kurama asked. "This isn't a Greek building."

"It's giving me something to go off of." I said.

I looked more intensively at the hallway at the far left. It looked exactly the same as the others. I was almost to the point of pulling my hair out when I saw something very small. It was a black circle. It was the only difference I could find in the hallway entrances. I asked if the others found anything, but they didn't, so I took a leap of faith.

I led the others down the marked hallway. It didn't take long to get to the other end. The hallway led to another chamber with eight hallways. I told the others to look for a small black circle as the clue. We looked for several minutes, but no one could find the circle. Percy however said he found a different marker: a black circle with a white crescent.

As there were no other markers, we ran down the hall, which happened to be the second hallway to the left. We ran down it and entered another room with eight hallways. Nico found a marker that was a half black circle and half white. In the next room, Kurama found a circle that is mostly white with a black crescent. By the time we got to the next room, I figured out something.

"Wait, wait, wait!" I said. "Guys there's a pattern."

"What is it?" asked Nico.

"The first marker was on the very left hallway of the first room." I explained. "The next marked hallway was the first hallway to the right of the first, and so on. So if we keep going down the hallway that is just to the right of the one we just took, we should get out of this maze."

"I don't get it." Percy said.

"Of course you don't." I said. "Let's go!"

As we ran in the pattern, I thought of something. I felt that the markers looked disturbingly familiar. But for the life of me I can't remember why. At the end of the eighth hallway we took, we came across a large wooden door. We all felt that deep down that this was the end of the maze. We looked at each other, making sure that we were ready for whatever is behind this door. Together, we pushed it open.

Inside was nothing spectacular. It was a large open room, with a tall ceiling. Lanterns lit the room and hung from the arched pillars. There were a few tapestries of ancient Japanese art. At first there wasn't anything in the room, but then I saw something. It was like that wavy aspect you see during mirages and when it's incredibly hot. The waviness cleared, revealing a shrine. There were two hearths on both side of a small staircase. At the top of the staircase was a platform, and on that platform was something shining in silver light.

"Wow…" I said. I slowly walked to the shrine, mesmerized by whatever was on the platform.

"Tsuna!" Percy said. "Your sword is glowing!"

"Huh?" I asked.

I looked at my sword and saw that it was indeed glowing brightly in a blue light. I didn't know what was going on. I willed my sword to back into its ring form, but it still was glowing brightly. And the closer I got the shrine, the brighter the ring glowed. I heard Nico chuckle, and when I saw what he was laughing at I saw that Kurama was practically a ball of puffed out fur. His senses must be on overdrive again, so that means…we finally found one of the Three Sacred Treasures.

I led the way up the stairs, feeling my heart beating heavily in my chest. I can't describe why I felt so excited. The silver light was blinding, getting brighter as we walked closer, just like my ring. But once we reached the platforms, the lights faded. Sitting on an elevated stand, about the height of my chest, was a circular mirror, large enough that it would take two hands to hold it properly.

The mirror was made out of reflective black glass with a silver frame. Bordering the glass along the frame was a series of eight circles. A solid black circle was at the top, while a solid white circle was at the bottom. Circling the glass are circles that have crescents of black on the left hand side and crescents of white on the right hand side.

"These circles…" I said as I stepped closer.

"They look like the markers in the hallways." Nico said. I leaned in close, and then I figured out something that made feel like a complete idiot.

"Di Immortales!" I screamed, slapping my forehead. "How can I be so stupid?! The circles stand for the pha-"

At that moment the Kiyohime burst through the floor not far from the stairwell. We all turned around, my sword appearing in my hand. Her kimono looked torn, but apparently the ninjas weren't able to do more than that against her. I could tell she was really angry.

"My love, my beloved!" screamed Kiyohime. "I have finally found you! Let us be together again!"

"Her and her 'love' again." Nico said irritated. "What's with this lady?"

"You four again?!" bellowed Kiyohime. "You dare try to steal my beloved from me?!"

"We already told you!" I said, trying to calm her. "We are on a quest for our pantheon to gather the Three Sacred Treasures! We don't even know who your love is!"

"If you take that mirror, you take my beloved!" screamed Kiyohime. "I can feel his godly essence within that mirror!"

"Godly essence?" I said curiously. "You mean that this mirror is-"

"You will not take my love away from me!" screamed Kiyohime as she lunged at us. Nico summoned the power of the shadows and had the shadows grab Kiyohime and harden, keeping her in place.

Percy and I jumped (after I ordered Kurama to guard Nico) from the platform and slashed her with our blades. Kiyohime grunted, but she didn't look that hurt. She swung her arms to hit us, but we moved out of the way. I ran up and stabbed my sword into her. My sword went about a quarter of the way in. She then swiped me with the back of her hand, tossing me across the room. I was smashed into a pillar.

"Tsuna!" the others yelled in worry. I slowly stood up and saw that Percy had in his anger slashed Kiyohime with everything he had. As she screamed in pain green blood splattered the silver floor.

I quickly stood up and grabbed my sword. I ran up to Kiyohime and rapidly stabbed her with my blade. She leaned down to bite me, but I rolled out of the way. I noticed that the shadows that Nico was using to keep the Kiyohime were starting to retract. I glanced at Nico, seeing that sweat was forming on his brow. It was difficult to fight Kiyohime. Her scales were very hard to pierce. But what wounds we were able to cause her caused blood to stain her kimono.

"How dare you dirty my beautiful kimono!" screamed Kiyohime.

She lunged at Percy and me again, this time breaking out of her shadowy restraints. We were able to jump out of the away in time. Kiyohime's head broke through the floor, revealing that there was water underneath the palace. It must have been elevated by pillars. Percy saw the water too and we both started using our hydrokinetic abilities.

First we had the water start rising and flooding the floor. Then Percy made two large hands out of the water that grabbed Kiyohime. She yelled, saying that we didn't have the right to touch her. She squirmed and wriggled her way out of the watery hand. While she did so I made powerful torrents of water to blast her. The water pounded her repeatedly like a series of punches.

When she finally broke free, she slithered to Percy and slammed her tail in him, sending him flying across the room. I ran to help my brother when Kiyohime's tail slammed in front of me. As she reached out to grab me I sliced her hands. She reeled back with a screech and hit me with the back of her hand again. When I landed I flipped back to my feet, feeling stronger with the water around. I had the tip of my sword touch the water and swung, making blades of water. They hit Kiyohime, but they didn't do much. With my ace in the whole used up, I felt like I was outta luck.

"_How can we beat her_?" I thought. "_She's unstoppable._"

Nico then ran down the stairs and attack Kiyohime, his eerie black Stygian Iron sword slicing her. She reacted by going down to bite him. I used my power over the water to make Nico slide to a different part of the room and into safety. I had no idea on how to stop her. We were three children of the Big Three, and we weren't doing much against this demon.

But then something popped in my head. It was like a voice in the back of my mind that wasn't my own. I wasn't sure what it was, but the words 'ice' and 'freeze' stuck out. That made an idea come to mind. I ran over to Percy and stood by him.

"Percy, I think this snake needs to _chill_, don't you?" I asked, trying to lead him into my plan.

"What do you mean chill?!" Percy asked. "This is no time for jokes Tsuna!"

"Let's freeze her you idiot!" I yelled.

"Freeze? What so you-oh!" Percy said after he realized. How the daughter of the goddess of wisdom could have fallen in love with my half-brother, I'll never know.

"Nico, blacken her sight!" I yelled.

He understood (thankfully) and caused a cloud of darkness to cover Kiyohime's head. She thrashed about, clawing at the darkness as if it was a living being. Percy and I focused and caused the water on the floor to crawl around Kiyohime. I concentrated on cold and ice, and I felt my body get cold and I saw my breath. Frost began to form on the water but it wasn't freezing completely.

"Perce, are you concentrating?" I asked.

"I'm trying." He said, his face scrunched up. In an attempt to help him, I grabbed his hand. He gave me a strange look.

"We're both sons of Poseidon Percy." I said. "Our powers should be stronger if we work together."

"Right." Percy nodded. We tightened our grip and concentrated again. This time the entire room became freezing cold. I heard the forming ice crack as it spread from me and Percy.

"Nico, Kurama, get up on the platform!" I screamed.

"Got it!" Nico yelled. He ran up the stairwell, meeting with Kurama halfway up the stairs. I concentrated even harder, willing the ice to cover Kiyohime. Her thrashing slowed considerably. I guess she really was part reptile. Soon she was fully covered in ice (as was the rest of the room), unmoving and in a pose of complete anguish.

"Finally." I said as I rubbed my arm. It was really sore from being tossed around like a rag doll.

"Let's just get that Treasure and leave before she thaws out." Percy said. We walked up the stairs, trying not to slip on the ice. We met up with Nico and Kurama atop the platform.

"Suzaku said that the Yasakani no Magatama was supposed to be in this cave." I said. I walked to the mirror and reached out to grab it, my ring glowing brightly, as was the mirror. I felt connected to the mirror somehow, like it was calling out to me. "But this…"

"So that's the mirror then?" Nico spoke up. "The Yasa…Yama…"

"The Yata no Kagami," I said as I stared into the black glass, "the mirror of the god of the moon, Tsukuyomi."

I reached closer for the mirror. It felt like an eternity for my hands to get even remotely close to it, despite me standing right in front of the mirror. But when my hands were an inch away, a loud cracking noise came from the frozen Kiyohime. As she broke free, ice shards flew up onto the platform.

"Stay away from him!" screamed Kiyohime. I wasn't paying attention, as my eyes were still transfixed upon the mirror.

"Look out!" Percy yelled at Kiyohime lunged at us.

At that very moment, I grabbed the mirror. Intense silver light exploded from the mirror, encompassing all of us. I had to shield my eyes from the light. I heard Kiyohime scream and fall where she stood, hearing her scales scrape across the stairs. When the light faded, I felt a powerful presence in the room, something greater than that of Mr. D or Chiron. I turned around, and floating between the four of us and Kiyohime was a man.

This man had an aura of power, literally. He had this pale silver aura around him. He had long silver hair that reached the small of his back. He was wearing a grey hakama and on his feet were black sandals with socks. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but he had a white haori hanging loosely in the crook of his elbows, his forearms in the sleeves. His belt covered some of his stomach, and it had a crescent moon facing upward as a symbol on it.1

Kiyohime was speechless. She reached out for the man, this god. He grabbed her hands and drew her close, putting his hand on her cheek. Silver light covered Kiyohime, glowing bright. As the light faded, a pretty girl was floating in the arms of the god. It was Kiyohime, but she was human again.

"Find the Sanzu River, my dear, and cross it." The man said3. Kiyohime nodded, and the man kissed her cheek. Kiyohime then started to become transparent until she wasn't there anymore. After sighing, the god floated down to the platform and stared at us, or to be precise, me. He then pulled me into a tight hug. "So you're his son, eh?"

"Huh?" I asked, confused beyond all belief. "What do you mean? Do you know Poseidon?"

"Poseidon?" the god said. He then gave a sad smile. "Oh, I get it. You're being clever."

"'Scuse me?" I asked.

"Tsuna, who is that?" Nico asked.

"That's-" I started to say before I was interrupted.

"Shinto god of the moon and one of the Noble Three. Tsukuyomi, at your service." The god said with a humble bow.

"Lord Tsukuyomi!" Kurama cried as he bowed out of respect. "It is an honor to be in your presence."

"Oh a Kitsune." Tsukuyomi said. He knelt down and scratched Kurama under his chin. "I haven't seen your kind in ages.

"I thought you Faded." Percy said without thinking.

"Percy!" yelled Kurama. "Show some respect!"

"It's alright Kurama." Tsukuyomi said. He looked right at Percy. "I did Fade, son of Poseidon."

"Then how can you be talking to us right now?" Nico wondered.

"Kiyohime said your godly essence was in the mirror." I said. "Is that why your still here?"

"Well, that's one way to put it." Tsukuyomi said. "You know, this isn't the best place to talk. Let's go somewhere more festive!"

"What?" Percy, Nico, and I asked at the same time. Tsukuyomi snapped his fingers and in a silver flash we were sitting at a table that had a pot of tea and cups for all of us. We were sitting under the full moon in a grove of willow trees.

"That's better." said Tsukuyomi. "Much more relaxing. Tea?"

"Uh, please…" I said. He poured me cup and offered the others some. Nico and Kurama took it willingly, but Percy wasn't sure.

"What's wrong lad?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"Can it be…blue please?" Percy wondered.

"Sure." Tsukuyomi said with a chuckle. As he poured Percy tea, it went from green to blue.

"So how are you here?" I asked. "Suzaku said you Faded ages ago."

"Suzaku that old bird!" Tsukuyomi exclaimed. "He's still around?"

"No." Kurama said in a sad tone. The rest of us looked down at our tea. "He Faded a few days ago."

"I'm sorry." Tsukuyomi said. He rubbed Kurama's head affectionately. "The rest of the Shinto gods have Faded completely, I'm sure. By the time the Second World War came about, we were starting to lose power."

"Is that why your pantheon is Fading?" Nico wondered. "Because ours is so strong?"

"Hate to disappoint you, but there are beings much more powerful than the Greeks." Tsukuyomi said. "But those Celestials have sticks so far up their…sorry, I got a bit carried away.

"But you haven't told us why you are here when you have been said to have Faded." I said, getting irritated.

"I can see you inherited your father's temper." Tsukuyomi said with a raised eye. "But since you insist. After the Second World War, we were greatly weakened. The people lost their faith in us. Amerterasu, me, and Susanoo were still powerful, but we knew our time was up. We watched as our brethren and our children Fade out of existence. Our hearts tore at our loss.

We mourned their fading, but we knew we had to keep going. But we weren't able to have any more godly children. We tried over and over again. In the end, our numbers kept dwindling. But we knew that our pantheon needed to survive. We felt it in our hearts. When Amerterasu and I began to feel the effects of the Fading, our brother Susanoo told us to fuse our godly powers to our Sacred Treasure. We knew that it would cause us to Fade even faster, but it would allow us to help the next generation when it comes by lending them our power."

"But what about the others?" I asked. "Did they do this too?"

"I am sad to say that they Faded long before Susanoo came up with the idea." Tsukuyomi said. "Other than Suzaku and the other Guardian Spirits, the only god that was still around was the dragon Ryūjin."

My ring felt like it tightened around my finger. I glanced at it, but it looked as it always has. I remembered that Ajari had said the name Ryūjin when my sword first appeared, and Tsuchigumo said something about a dragon the night Percy and I were attacked. Does my sword have a connection to the Shinto gods? Is that why Hyousuke called it Divine Steel, a material that isn't a part of the Greek pantheon?

"By the way, what brought you all to Japan?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"We were given a Quest by our Oracle." Nico said. "To gather the treasures of the Noble Three."

"Suzaku said that the jewel was supposed to be here, not the mirror." Percy said. "Why did he lie?"

"He probably didn't know the truth himself." Tsukuyomi said with a shrug of the shoulders. "The Treasures were hidden for a reason. And it was Susanoo that hid them. You two should know better than anyone that the sea can be unpredictable. He probably spread the rumor of where they were in order to confuse our enemies."

"What enemies do you all have?" asked Nico.

"We have several." Tsukuyomi said. "Too many to count actually."

"So I've gotta ask," Percy said. "What was with those illusions?"

"Oh, that was the mirror." Tsukuyomi said nonchalantly.

"What was the mirror?" Nico asked.

"The palace was an illusion itself." Tsukuyomi said. "The maze, the ninjas, they were all created by the mirror to test the wisdom of the one who sought the mirror."

"Is that why there were markers in the shape of the moon all over the palace, and that tunnel in the cave?" I wondered.

"Exactly!" said Tsukuyomi.

"What can you tell me about the 'Umi no Musuko'?" I asked.

"Umi no Musuko?" Tsukuyomi said. "Sorry, never heard of it. It means Son of the Sea, though."

"Yeah, I knew that. Thanks." I said.

"Is there something special about it?" Tsukuyomi wondered.

"Tsuchigumo and the Daitengu Ajari called both me and Percy the Umi no Musuko." I explained. "They both tried to kidnap me, and Tsuchigumo was going to take me and Percy before I discovered I was a demigod."

"Sorry, I really don't know what it means." Tsukuyomi admitted. His body started to flicker, like static. "Fantastic. My time is running out for this meeting."

"What?" I asked. "What's happening?"

"Nothing big." Tsukuyomi said. "Just that my actual consciousness is Fading from the Yata no Kagami. I have something I am hoping to do, so I need to save up my minutes."

"Okay…" I said, cocking my head to the side in confusion.

"So, I'm guessing you need the Yasakani no Magatama." Tsukuyomi said as he grabbed my backpack. He then grabbed the mirror, took out some pieces of paper, and after writing on them put them on the mirror. He gave my backpack back to me after putting the mirror in it. "I'll get you as close as I can, but then you'll have to rely on your little fox friend."

"Thanks." Percy said. "But where is it?"

"Good question…" Tsukuyomi said. "I honestly don't remember. But I'm sure you'll get there safely."

"What?!" The four of us said when he snapped his fingers.

Silver light exploded from his form, blinding us. The next thing I knew I was laying against a tree in the middle of a forest. Snow was lightly falling, but the skies looked menacingly dark and grey. The others were okay, starting to stand up. When I stood up, I looked in my backpack and took out the Yata no Kagami. I stared into the black glass, seeing my reflection.

"Hey, there's something written on the back." Nico pointed out. I flipped the mirror around, seeing the sutras that Tsukuyomi put on it. In kanji, the phrase said:

'_The wisdom of Moon's light reveals the true soul_'

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**1. I based Tsukuyomi's design based on this picture I found on Deviant Art. You can find it here: art/Tsukuyomi-197999808. I can hear his voice being that of Troy Baker, specifically his role as Snow Villiers of the Final Fantasy XIII series.**


	15. Chapter XV Tsuna

** Please enjoy and review.**

* * *

**Chapter XV Tsuna**

I really don't know what Tsukuyomi had planned. He teleported us to the middle of nowhere, in some random Japanese forest, far away from people. When we first started walking around, there wasn't much snow falling, but now, it was blowing around us, blanketing everything in our sight. Cold rain pelted us, making us miserable. The wind cut through our jackets like knives, and it was blowing so strong that it pushed us off our footing a couple of times.

It was getting colder by the hour. Ever since Tsukuyomi sent us here yesterday, we were nearly freezing by nightfall. Kurama was able to find a Wayward Pine. We took our blankets and grouped together, Kurama sitting in my lap underneath the blanket. When we got up the next morning, it was even colder. Nico looked ill, but he said he was fine. I made sure to keep an eye on him.

"Perhaps the two sons of the storm god could do something about the snow." Nico said, his teeth chattering.

"Let's give it a shot." Percy said with his arms crossed across his chest. "Not like we could make it worse."

"Right." I said. He and I both concentrated, but I could tell that nothing was happening. "Sorry Neeks, we can't do anything about the weather."

"If we were at sea, we could probably do something." Percy said.

"What we need is to find some shelter." I said. "Kurama, can you find any Wayward Pines?"

"There's some up north a little ways." Kurama said as he sniffed the air. "But with the wind blowing like it is my sense of smell is off."

"Just do the best you can." I said. He nodded and bounded off, nearly blending in with the snow.

The three of us followed him, hoping that the trees would block some of the wind and snow, but it was just as bad. Everybody knew that if we stopped moving before we had a shelter that we would freeze to death. The wind was whistling in our ears. Kurama went out of sight, probably scouting ahead for a Wayward Pine. I heard a loud crunch of snow behind me, so I turned around and saw the black clothed mass that is Nico lying on the ground.

"Nico!" I yelled. I ran over to him and lifted him up. His eyes were closed and his lips were tinged blue, as was his fingers. Percy ran over to see what happened. "He's hypothermic!"

"We need to get him to shelter now." Percy said. "Kurama!"

"Kurama!" I yelled. We needed him now. Thank the gods he came bounding back.

"What is it?!" He yelled. "I just found a Wayward Pine-what's wrong?"

"Kurama, take us to the tree please!" I said. I was worried beyond belief about Nico. "He needs to get out of the wind and snow!"

"Right!" Kurama said. "Follow me!"

I handed Percy mine and Nico's backpack and I picked Nico up piggyback style. We ran after Kurama, dodging around trees. I tried to make the experience as smooth as possible for Nico. It felt it took much longer to get to the Wayward Pine than it really did. I was scared of what would happen to Nico if we didn't get him out of the snow.

We met with Kurama right outside of the tree; he had already opened it up for. Upon entering I gently took Nico off of my back and laid him against the wall of the tree. Dug into all of our backpacks and took out the three blankets. I draped them over Nico, trying to keep him warm.

"Percy, get firewood." I said. "Go with him Kurama."

They didn't even respond. They just ran out of the tree as fast as they could. I was grateful that we all cared about each other so much. I wasn't sure what to do to make Nico warm up. He was shivering and wouldn't stop. I scooted closer and rubbed his arms to make friction. That wasn't working, so I pulled him into my lap. I continued to rub his arms in order to warm him up, along with sharing our body heat. I could tell that he was drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Come on buddy, please stay awake." I said. "I can't lose anybody else. Especially my best friend."

"Tsuna…" muttered Nico in his daze.

"That's right Nico." I said. "Stay with me."

"Why are you so nice to me?" Nico wanted to know.

"You know why." I said. "Let's not talk about that anyways."

"I want to know." Nico said, his voice getting softer.

"I told you, you're my best friend." I said.

"Why?" Nico asked.

"Why? Because you just are." I said. "You helped me get used to the fact I was a demigod, you helped me when my mom died. You and I constantly hung out at Camp. Before I even moved to New York, I never had friends. So I treasure the ones that I have made. You and Percy, Annabeth, even Clarisse…you are all my friends."

"Do you think I'll see my mom and Bianca?" Nico asked.

"Not any time soon." I said angrily. "You are not going to die."

"But I'm so tired." Nico said. I felt his breathing slow down, and his skin was freezing cold. "I know I'll see dad. He'll …be…mad."

"Nico? Nico!" I said as soon as Nico lost consciousness. "Percy! Hurry!"

I rubbed Nico's arms harder, making as much friction as possible. I took of my jacket and tossed it on Nico. I was at the point of tears I was so scared. I didn't want to lose anyone else in my life.

"Nico please!" I yelled. Tears started forming and hugged him tight. "Stay awake. I can't lose you. You're more than my best friend. You're…you're…you're the little brother I always wanted. You and Percy, and Annabeth and Sally…you all have become my new family. I can't lose you. You're my little brother."

"Tsuna!" yelled Percy as he ran up to the tree.

"Where the hell is the firewood?!" I screamed.

"I found a house!" he said.

"What?" I asked.

"It's a bit far off." He said. "Me and Kurama saw some house lights."

"How is there a house up here?" I asked.

"We don't have time to discuss it." Percy said. "We need to get Nico someplace warm!"

"Right." I said. I picked Nico up while Percy stuffed the blankets into the backpacks.

He led me through the forest. I wanted to know where Kurama was. No offense to Percy, but he doesn't have the best sense of direction in the forest. Thankfully, we met up Kurama after a couple of minutes. They both led me through the forest, Kurama bounding ahead, the sound of our three backpacks banging on Percy's back. We ran for long time. My only thought was what would happen if Nico didn't make it. Would Hades rise out of the earth and drag me into the Underworld himself? Would Sally and Percy despise me? As the trees got thinner, I started to see lights in the distance. It was a house. I ran faster at the sight. Percy and Kurama did the same. We ran right to the door and pounded on it.

"Somebody please help!" I yelled. "Please open the door!"

"Come on!" Percy screamed as he slammed his fist on the door. "We have a sick friend!"

We pounded on the door for several minutes. Nico breathing slowed even more. The gods must have finally caved into my prayers because the door finally opened. Kurama jumped into Percy's arms and acted like a stuffed animal again. Standing in the doorway was a teenage girl. She had black hair tied into a pony tail and was wearing a heavy amount of make-up. She was also wearing grey sweats and a white sweater.

"Please, our friend needs help!" I yelled, startling her. "I'm sorry. Please, we need someplace warm for our friend. He's sick."

She just stared at us, like we were maniacs. I knew she saw that Nico was sick because she looked right at him. Soon another girl came to the doorway. She had shoulder length hair and her face was covered in many piercings. Her clothing style was punk Goth. They just stood there while we begged for a warm place to stay.

"I'm sorry." said the one with long hair. "We can't allow you to enter."

"Why?!" Percy screamed.

"It's the rule of the mistress of the house." the Goth girl said.

"Please." I begged. "Just for a little while, otherwise he'll die."

"Sorry." The Goth girl said as she closed the door.

"Aina! Fujiko! What is going on?!" cried out an older voice. The two girls jumped in shock. A tall woman with her hair in a bun came into view from behind them. She was wearing an extravagant black silk dress with red designs. He ears were pierced with bug earrings. She was also wearing a bracelet that looked like a centipede. She stared right at us. "What's this?"

"Mother, these-" started the girl in the sweater.

"Ma'am, we need a warm place to stay." I said. I shifted Nico in my arms a bit so he could be more comfortable. "My friend is sick with hypothermia. We need someplace warm until he recovers. We'll pay you, money isn't an issue."

She continued to stare at us, as if she was trying to process what I just said. She then beckoned us in, saying that she'll prepare a room immediately. She told us to leave our shoes at the front door. The interior of the house was filled with a lot of bug memorabilia and furniture. It was creepy as all hell, but it was really warm inside.

"Haruki!" screamed the older woman.

Walking, or jamming would be the best way to describe it, toward us was a teenage boy, maybe a couple of years older than Percy and I. His hair was spiky, and highlighted pink. His right ear was pierced and he had headphones on. The music he was listening to was so loud that I could hear it from my current position. He was wearing a bright pink shirt and tight black leather pants.

"Haruki, take out those deplorable earphones now!" the woman yelled. Haruki did as he was told and slouched in disappointment. "Haruki here will lead you to a spare room for the night. Girls, bring our guests some warm blankets and hot tea."

"Yes mother." The three children said.

"Thank you." Percy and I said.

We followed Haruki down a hall. Nico's shivering seemed to lessen a bit since we entered the house, but he needed to get under some blankets and out of his wet clothes soon. Haruki suddenly stopped and I almost ran into him. He showed us a sliding door and opened it for us. We walked in, and I looked for a place to lay Nico down. Haruki went to a closet and grabbed three mattresses (that looked like they would fit on a futon) and spread them out for all of us.

After he danced his way out I laid Nico on a mattress. I was about to grab our three blankets when one of the girls came in with three blankets that felt like they just came out of the dryer. After the Goth girl brought tea, I thought that Nico had to get out of his wet clothes so I undressed him until he was in his black boxers (which oddly had cartoon skulls dancing about). Then me and Percy piled the heated blankets on top of Nico and tucked him in. Kurama helped in his own way by digging his way into the covers and snuggled his way right next to Nico. Nico very quickly stopped shivering and looked more relaxed, and when I felt his forehead his temperature felt normal.

"Thank God." I said feeling like a massive weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

"I think you need this." Percy said as he handed me a cup of tea. Sipping the tea made me feel warm inside and helped me relax.

"Thanks Perce." I said. The two of us watched Nico sleep soundly for a while when a knock came at the door.

"Excuse me." said the girl with the sweater. She was holding something. "My mother saw how wet your clothes were, so she wanted me to give you these yukata to sleep in."

"Thank you…" I said, trying to remember her name.

"Aina." She said. "I'll go get a basket for you to put your wet clothes in."

When she left Percy and I stripped off our wet clothes, keeping our boxers only, and put on the yukatas. The material was really soft and the yukatas (thin kimonos really) were comfortably warm. I honestly believed Percy looked funny wearing it, but he laughed at seeing me wear mine. This caused the both of us to laugh.

"Hey Tsuna…" Percy said.

"What's up Percy?" I asked.

"Is that how you really feel about Nico?" Percy asked. "That he's like your little brother?"

"Oh…" I said feeling embarrassed and that my cheeks were turning red. "You heard that."

"Yea, I did." He said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "But it's true right?"

"Yes." I admitted. "I always wanted a little brother Percy, and Nico is who I always saw when I was wishing for one. Well, he has all the qualities. And I consider you to be more like a twin brother Percy, or something like that, because of how close we are in age."

"Wow." Percy said.

"Yea, wow." I agreed.

After a series of yawns and drinking more tea, we decided to get into bed. Percy and I pulled out our travel blankets and headed for our own mattresses. We were starting to feel the down side of the adrenaline rush we had and were feeling exhausted. We were so tired that we didn't even bother with having anyone stay up for watch.

I started dreaming the moment I fell asleep. I was flying over the ocean. I reached down and skimmed my fingers against the cool water. It was an amazing feeling. Then I dove into the cold ocean, going farther and farther down. It got darker as I went, but I could still sense where I was. In the darkness, I started to see a light. It got brighter and brighter, until I had to cover my eyes. Once I adjusted to the light I saw a spectacular Japanese palace. It was made of red and white coral (with a few other colors and types of coral here and there) and beautiful crystals. I was breath taken.

I then heard something swimming in the water near me, and it sounded huge. I turned around and saw nothing but the darkness. I kept looking every time I head something move near me. I started to get scared. Out of instinct I tried to summon my sword, but it wouldn't appear. I looked at my hand and saw that my ring was gone. A geyser of bubbles blew up from under me and forced me up a ways. After the bubbles cleared I tried looking around again, but the light from that palace wasn't shining up here. Then I heard the growling. My heart started pumping like there was a drum in my chest. You know that feeling in your chest when you're listening to music and the bass is really high? That's what it felt like.

I felt something brush against my leg and that was the last straw. I swam for the surface as fast as a child of a sea god could. But whatever was scaring me was following me just as fast, maybe faster. My only thought was 'Please don't be Godzilla, for the love of the gods don't be Godzilla!' Soon its head hit my feet and I was forced against the bridge of its snout. As soon as we hit the surface I was rocketed out into the air and almost wishing for Zeus to throw some lightning at me so I wouldn't be eaten, but apparently Zeus was being nice, so no barbequed Tsuna today.

I expected to hit the water, but I landed on the creature's snout again. It didn't react when I landed. After waiting to be eaten and nothing happening, I opened my eyes slowly. I was looking right at its snout and saw that it was scaly, like a lizard. The scales themselves were as blue as sapphires. After working up some bravery I looked up and saw two sea green eyes with slit pupils that changed to rounded ones. I was amazed by this creature. I stood up and looked over the edge of its snout, seeing that it was several stories tall. I also noticed that it had to whisker-like thing coming out of its snout. This creature was amazing, and I felt like I knew it personally somehow. But despite me not knowing who the creature was, I knew what it was. It was a dragon. Then the entire world started to shake and the dream faded away.

The next thing I knew was that I was in this huge cave that had a large whole in the ceiling. I could see the clouds, and they looked menacing. I walked a few steps, seeing nothing important. But then I saw this really, really old man. He had a long white beard and long white hair, with the top of his head being bald. He was wearing a brilliant red robe and light blue pants with floral designs. In his hand was a fan that had seven golden feathers in it. But what drew my attention the most was that he had this long and dull gold colored beak.

"A Tengu!" I yelled. I then covered my mouth, actually praying that he didn't hear me. Thankfully he didn't. Tempting fate, I waved my hand in front of him and snapped my fingers but nothing happened. I let out a sigh of relief. I then made a correlation between this guy and an owl.

The Tengu appeared to be in a meditative state. It was boring watching him meditate after a minute, but that must have been my ADHD acting up. I just wanted this part of my dream to end, or at least take me back to that dragon, but I was stuck here. When I was about to walk away in an attempt to change the dream, the Tengu spoke up and made me jump out of my skin.

"Enter Daranibō." said the old Tengu.

"Daranibō?" I said to myself. "Tsuchigumo said that name once, in a dream that I once had."

Entering the cave through an entrance was another Tengu. He looked creepily like Ajari, but he was as vulture like or had greasy feathers. He looked more like a king. He was wearing a purple kimono and black pants, his bird feet just visible. His arms were wings, and I could see his black feathers. His beak was silver and he had a black mustache.

"Sōjōbō, the Umi no Musuko has retrieved the Yata no Kagami." Daranibō said after bowing.

"Interesting." Sōjōbō said. "Do we know their current location?"

"Not yet, but the Oni Hyousuke is currently performing a locater spell." Daranibō said.

"An Oni performing a spell as complicated as a locator spell is a serious joke." Sōjōbō said. "Hyousuke's spell work would only provide a general direction, a general area if he's lucky."

"But it will help us narrow it down." Daranibō said. "Also, Menōmaru has reported in. He fought against one of the Greek boys. He said that this one was invulnerable to his blade at every spot on his body."

"From what I know of the Greeks," started Sōjōbō, "It sounds like he has the Curse of Achilles. Don't worry about that one Greek. Menomaru's honor is in question now after being defeated, and to regain it he will learn this boy's weakness and kill him in battle."

"But what about the Yasakani no Magat-?" asked Daranibō before there was this loud hissing sound that echoed throughout the cave.

"Leave now, and keep me updated on the status of the Umi no Musuko." Sōjōbō said.

"As you wish." Daranibō said as he bowed out.

After he left, the room felt much colder. Smoke started to appear in the air, and it circled Sōjōbō. Soon the smoke started to take shape. They formed eight snakes that slithered around Sōjōbō, and talked in unison.

"Ssssooo, the mirror hassss been found." the snakes said.

"Yes my master." Sōjōbō said. He looked nervous, and I saw some sweat begin to form on his brow.

"Ssssoon we will have the Yassssakani no Magatama, the Yata no Kagami, and my old sssssword the Kusssanagi no Tsssurugi, then I can be free onccce again." the snakes said happily. I was already afraid of this thing, whatever it was.

"Will you keep your end?" Sōjōbō asked. "To fully empower us again?"

"Of courssssse." The snakes said. "I will happily do that, oncccce I get my revenge on all those who have hurt me, and our pantheon."

"But how can we get the Yasakani no Magatama?" Sōjōbō asked. "The Jewel is protected. But even if it wasn't for Susanoo's seals, you know that the Jewel won't allow anyone but-"

"Ssssilenccce!" hissed the snakes. "We are not alone."

"What?" Sōjōbō said as he raised his fan. He looked around, obviously confused and trying to look for me. "Where- You! Allow me to handle him my master."

"No, allow me." said the snakes. They stopped circling Sōjōbō and headed towards me. I backed up and tripped, falling to the ground. The snakes bit at me while they circled and spoke to me. "Hm hm hm hm. Sssooo, you think you can jussssst get a ssssneak peek at our planssss? I don't want to give you any sssspoilerssss, hm hm hm he he he he ha ha ha ha!"

The snakes circled me faster and faster. Then they grouped together in front of me, joining together into one snake. Then the snake started to grow horns and look more dragonish. It then lunged at me and with a jolt I woke up in a sweat.

"Hey, look who's up?" Percy said.

"Morning Tsuna." Nico said, wearing the last yukata and eating toast. "Or actually good afternoon. We all slept passed noon."

"Hey buddy." I said as I stretched. I crawled over to them and saw that there was an awesome spread for breakfast. It was surprisingly western. It had eggs, toast, bacon, pancakes and other stuff. I ruffled his hair playfully. "I'm glad to see that your better."

"Thanks." Nico said with one of his rare, genuine smiles.

"Here," Percy said as he handed me a plate full of food. "Let's live it up while we can."

"Yea." I said. I took a couple of bites and it tasted amazing. "Who brought us food?"

"It was Aina." said Percy. "She and her sister made it all by themselves."

"It's fantastic." Kurama said with a mouthful of food.

"There's my favorite stuffed animal." I said with a smile. I petted him affectionately. "Thanks for helping find this place."

"And thanks for keeping me warm." Nico added. He scratched Kurama under his chin.

"You're welcome." Kurama said with his foxy smile. We ate for a little while and enjoyed our time together. When we heard a knock at the door, Kurama dove right under the blankets and pretended to be a staffed animal again.

"Pardon me." said the voice of the older woman. She slid the door open and had her eyes covered. "Are you all descent?"

"We are ma'am." Percy said.

"Well, you three must have been hungry." the woman said. "But three growing boys need their nourishment. Oh, I see that your well young one. Did you all sleep well?"

"Yes we did." I said. I bowed a little. "Thank you for letting us stay in your home, and thank you for your hospitality."

"Thank you." Nico said, bowing like me.

"Yea, thanks." Percy said.

"It is my pleasure and honor to host such kind polite guests." said the woman as she bowed as well. "But where are my manners. With all of the worry last night I forgot to introduce myself. I am Madam Konchū. May I ask your names?"

"I'm Tsunayoshi Noble, Tsuna for short." I said. "This is my brother Percy Jackson, and my best friend Nico di Angelo."

"Nice to meet you." Nico said.

"Hi." Percy simply said.

"Well, now that you all have eaten, how about a tour of the resort?" Madam Konchū offered.

"This place is a resort?" Percy asked.

"This place has been in my family for generations." said Madam Konchū. "You might know that Japan is a country of volcanic activity. This volcanic activity creates hot springs, called onsen here in Japan. These hot springs are highly relaxing and their mineral rich waters are said to have healing properties."

"_Water with naturally occurring healing properties_." I thought. "_I wonder what they can do for the sons of Poseidon_?"

"But, I believe that you all need to just relax." Madam Konchū said. "My daughter Fujiko has told me that your clothes have been washed, and that she'll come around soon to give them to you and fresh yukatas. Then we can tour the resort."

"Thank you very much ma'am." I said.

She left us and not too long after Fujiko, the Goth girl knocked on our door and gave us our cleaned clothes and the fresh yukatas. I thanked her and I took our clothes, giving them to Percy and Nico. I went to put my clothes in my backpack, and I must have forgotten about the Yata no Kagami because it slipped out. I quickly picked it up and saw that one of Tsukuyomi's seals was ripped. I put it back into my backpack, hoping that Fujiko didn't see it. I turned around and she was looking right at me, her eyes showing only the slightest bit of shock.

"I never expected a man to keep a mirror in his backpack." Fujiko said. "Where did you get such a beautiful mirror?"

"It's a, uh…a souvenir." I lied.

"Where from?" she asked.

"Takachiho." I said. She nodded and left us. I then felt suspicion pile on my shoulders. As we got into the clean yukatas, I talked to the others. "This place is too good to be true."

"What do you mean?" Kurama asked as he crawled out from the blankets.

"This wouldn't be the first time that I fell into a trap." Percy said. "It's common for Demigods to find something that is too good, it is bound to be a trap. Like on my first Quest me, Annabeth, and Grover stopped by this garden emporium that also was a fast food place. The food was delicious, but the owner turned out to be Medusa herself."

"You all need to relax." Kurama said. He sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything demonic from our hosts, only that incense. It's really strong."

"You're right Kurama." I said. "But I still have my suspicions though. However, we still need to relax, so just keep your guard up."

"Right." Nico and Percy said.

"Are you all dressed again?" asked Madam Konchū at the door. As she opened the door Kurama dove under the blankets again. "Ah, you three look really nice. Shall we start the tour?"

"Yea, sounds like fun." I said. When she left and the others followed, I asked Kurama to watch over our stuff, especially the Yata no Kagami.

The resort was really nice. However, I would have preferred it wasn't bug themed. I'm not afraid of bugs, but the statues of bugs were making my skin crawl. And when I say bug statues, I mean statues from as big as a table lamp to as tall as me. And most of the statues were of centipedes (or millipedes, I could never tell the difference.) Madam Konchū showed us a large dining room, where she said that we were going to have a large meal later in the day.

She then led us to the west wing of the house. Here is where a sauna resided. She invited us to go and enjoy it in a little. And in a few rooms beyond the sauna was a series of massage tables that looked really relaxing. On our way back to our room Madam Konchū showed us that the onsen was at the very back of the house and that we can enjoy it before bed.

"Wow, it's really storming outside." I said after I looked out of a window. The snow was blinding, but I was just able to make out the outline of trees.

"Yes it is." Madam Konchū said. "I have never seen a storm like this. I remember a few weeks ago when you could see the ocean."

"You could see the ocean from here?" Percy asked.

"Yes. Actually, if you head east for about two miles or so you'll end up at a cliff that over hangs the sea. It's a beautiful sight at sunset, the light reflecting off the ocean."

We were led back to the room, and I felt positive that there was nothing wrong here. But there was this feeling deep in my gut that was telling me something was wrong, but I ignored it. I stretched, feeling my bones pop and told the others I was going to get a massage. Percy said he was coming with but Nico said he was just going to relax with Kurama.

It felt amazing getting the massage. The ladies who massaged Percy and I were absolutely fantastic at their job. They found knots that I didn't know I had. I groaned in pleasure, especially when they pushed down on my back causing a series of pops. I heard Percy moan as well, so I knew he was enjoying his massage.

After the massage Percy headed straight for the sauna. I went to ask Nico if he wanted to join us. He said he'll come, so we walked to the sauna and put towels around our waists after taking our yukatas off. Percy was thoroughly enjoying the steam. He was leaning back, head leaning against the wall and his eyes closed. When Nico sat down I put more water on the heated rocks, making more steam.

We stayed in the sauna for a long time…or a few minutes. I couldn't tell because I nodded off. We were all a little red when we left the sauna. I felt like taking a nap, but the small of food being cooked made my stomach growl loudly. So we went to the private showers located near the sauna and rinsed off the sweat. After getting out yukatas back on, we followed the smell to the large dining room.

And Madam Konchū was right when she said she wanted a large meal. It was huge, with food covering two tables. There were hamburgers, fries, rice, sushi, soda, tea, fruit, vegetable, cake, soup, steak, chicken, bowls of ice cream and mocha, and so much other food that I could list them all. The sight alone made my mouth water, but the smell nearly made tears of joy come. I heard Percy and Nico's stomachs growl, so we sat down.

"I hope you three enjoyed your relaxing massage and your time in the sauna." Madam Konchū said. She was sitting at the head of the table, with her children Aina, Fujiko, and Haruki around her.

"We did." Nico said.

"I fell asleep." Percy admitted.

"I hope you all worked up an appetite." Aina said. "We all worked very hard to prepare this meal for you."

"It looks fantastic." I said, eyeing our food. But then I heard my mom's voice in the back of my head saying 'Always thank those who do good thing for you.' "Thank you very much for this meal."

"You are very welcome." Madam Konchū said. "Please, dig in."

So we did. We ate and ate. I had about four servings myself, and Nico had three. Percy was able to east about six servings. I guess that his Curse of Achilles requires a huge food intake and rest. But even then the Curse doesn't explain where he put it all. After we were done eating I leaned back, feeling like my stomach was about to explode it was so full. All I wanted to do was head back to the room.

"Can I have an extra plate?" asked Nico.

"How are you still hungry?" asked Haruki. This was the first time I heard him speak since being here. "You ate more than I did."

"It's for later." Nico said. "In case I get hungry later."

"You may." Madam Konchū said. I leaned over to Nico after he made a plate.

"This is for Kurama, right?" I whispered.

"Yea, he's been in the room all day with no food, do I'm sure he's hungry." Nico whispered back.

We asked if we could help with cleaning up, but Madam Konchū told us that since we are guests we don't need to do anything but relax. So we went to the room, where Kurama was excited to finally get something to eat. He talked about how boring it was being cooped up in the room and had us talk about the house. He even wanted to know about the sauna and the massages. While we all talked, I took out the Yata no Kagami and stared into its black glass, seeing only my reflection. After an hour our stomachs settled, and after another half hour there was a knock at the door.

"Hey guys." Haruki said as he opened the door. "Mom just wants to know how you all are feeling."

"We're good." Percy said.

"Yea, I don't feel as stuffed anymore." I said.

"Cool." Haruki said. He noticed Kurama's empty plate. "Got hungry again little man? I'll just take that."

"Thanks." Nico said as he handed him the plate. Before he left I spoke up.

"Hey, can we go to the onsen now?" I asked.

"Sure, I don't see why not." Haruki said. "I'll take you there myself."

He led us to the center of the resort. Nico wanted us to bring our backpacks, and Haruki said it would be alright since there are baskets to put our stuff in while we soak in the heated water. While walking he told us the rules of the onsen. The first rule was that we had to shower before entering the water. Something about not contaminating the water of whatever. The second rule was that we can't splash around. The third rule was that we can't bring in jewelry or something like that. The fourth rule made the three of us stop in our tracks and blush deep red. The rule was that we had to be naked in the onsen…together.

"I guess it's true." Haruki said. "You westerners are…shyer around people. Don't worry, that rule is really easy to bend because people are very modest lately, so we do provide swimsuits. You can find them in a closet in the changing room."

"Thanks." We all said.

We entered the changing room and looked for the swim suits. They looked more like tight cycling shorts than swim trunks1, but we agreed that as long as they hid 'everything' it didn't matter. We turned our back to each other and changed into the swim suits. We then uncomfortably showered next to each other, feeling embarrassed despite being 'covered.'

After the shower we opened the sliding door and saw that the onsen was built out of rocks. The water looked blue with a tint of green and steam was rolling off the surface. There was a fountain of the heated water trickling to the side. It looked like it was carved into a large stone. After being amazed by the design for a second (it's just a design, so I'm not going to awe over it. I'm not Annabeth.) There was even incense burning, and it smelled sweet.

"Ahh." I said as I got into the water.

It felt so good, and I already felt the water energize me. I felt like I was forgetting something, but I couldn't be bothered to remember. I saw Percy was already relaxing. Nico was taking a long time to get into the water. But when he finally got all the way in, he started to relax himself. We soaked in the water for a while. I noticed how red Nico got, like a cooked lobster, and pointed it out to Percy. We both laughed, and Nico gave is one of his glares, but it soon disappeared as he continued to relax.

But then something started to feel very wrong. My eyelids started to feel very heavy. I was also starting to feel tired. Before whatever was happening got worse I started to feel energized again. I saw Nico start to stand up, but he slipped and fell into the water. Percy rushed over to get him above the water. Since he wasn't showing to be as bad as Nico like me, the water must be strengthening our resistance to whatever was happening. That's when the walls of the onsen started to deteriorate. They looked like they were falling apart, and the pieces were turning into bugs.

"Ha ha ha ha." Laughed the mistress of the house Madam Konchū. I stood up shakily, and noticed that her kids were standing beside her.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Is the incense getting to you boy?" Madam Konchū asked with a cruel smile.

"What did you do?" I demanded to know.

"The incense that you three have been inhaling is merely a sleep inducer." Madam Konchū said. "I was hoping that you two would have been asleep by now, but I can easily detain you while my master's emissaries come to get you."

"And how do you think you're going to 'detain' me?" I asked.

"Like this." Madam Konchū said, cackling like a witch. Her body started to shift, elongating and becoming more insect like. Her dress stretched with her, and she sprouted six more arms. Her lower half became segmented and grew many insect legs.

"What are you?!" Percy asked as he lifted Nico out of the water.

"I am merely a centipede demon." Madam Konchū said. "And the mother of these demons."

Her three children shifted their bodies as well. The girls Aina and Fujiko changed into creatures that resembled bees, with stingers replacing their right hands. Haruki's transformation was really disgusting. His hands became pinchers and from his back came a giant stinger, like a scorpion. Even her entire house, except the onsen itself, began to melt away into swarms of bugs, varying in sizes. A lot of these bugs merged to become monstrosities.

Madam Konchū, her children, and the other creatures started to close in on us. Nico was incapacitated at the moment, and Percy would be able to fight to his full potential while holding on to Nico. Percy and I were right from the start. This was a trap.

* * *

**1. They are like something called jammers. The characters from the new anime Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club wear these kind of swimsuits.**


	16. Chapter XVI Tsuna

**Please review and enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter XVI Tsuna**

"Give up." Madam Konchū said as she got closer. "There is no way you can fight us in your condition."

"You'll be surprised as to what a demigod can do." I said. I was figuring out the best moment to summon my sword (which was what I forgot when I got into the onsen.) "Let us go, and you will not get hurt."

"Hurt me?" Madam Konchū said with a sneer. "You won't hurt me, or else your foxy little friend will meet his end."

"What did you do to Kurama?!" Percy yelled. "Where is he?"

"He's right here, in Haruki's grasp." Madam Konchū said. "Right Haruki?"

"Yes mother." said Haruki as he lifted a bag in his pincher. Something was moving in the bag.

"Let me out of here right now so I can scratch out your eyes!" screamed Kurama. Well at least we know he isn't hurt.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Isn't it simple?" Madam Konchū asked playfully. "I want the mirror in your back pack. If you give me the Yata no Kagami, I promise I won't hurt you and your friends."

"I bet your promise doesn't extend to the emissaries that are coming." Percy said. I glanced behind me and saw that whatever was in the incense was starting to leave Nico's system because he was looking more awake. The stuff already left me and Percy because the water was energizing us more than the incense was affecting us.

"You have a point, but can you really take that risk?" asked Madam Konchū.

I took a moment to plan something. I looked past Madam Konchū and her monsters, just seeing our backpacks (I wonder how did they missed them on her way in here.) However unlike a child of Athena I couldn't come up with a good plan on the spot. So I just glanced at Percy, seeing him nod. I summoned my sword and swung it so the tip hit the water. As I swung blades of water shot out at Madam Konchū and her children. While the centipede lady was able to dodge, the water that shot out at Haruki sliced off the top part of his stinger.

"Argh!" yelled Haruki as he dropped Kurama.

Before any of the other demons could retaliate Percy and I made a dome of water form around us that we then had explode outwards. As they reacted to the hot water we ran to our stuff. While Percy supported Nico I grabbed the bag holding Kurama and our back packs.

The demons came running after us not too long after. I could hear their screams and yells. As we ran into the snow covered woods we instantly felt the intense cold, so I reached in our bags and grabbed our pants. After tossing Percy his and Nico's I put my on while running. Being wet plus snow and intense wind is a killer if you wanted to know. Plus we were barefoot, so our feet lost feeling after a couple of minutes. Nico regained his senses while we ran. I opened the bag that Kurama was in to release him.

"Finally!" Kurama yelled. "Let's go back and get that witch!"

"No!" I yelled, getting colder by the second. "Find us a Wayward Pine now!"

"Okay!" Kurama said begrudgingly. As he bounded ahead I heard him say something about fighting. It took all of five minutes for him to find a Wayward Pine. We entered it relieved to finally be out of the snow and wind.

"What in Hades name happened?!" Percy asked as he wrapped a blanket around himself. "I thought you said that there was nothing to worry about from them Kurama. What happened to that nose of yours?!"

"Don't bite my head off!" Kurama yelled. "I have no idea why I couldn't smell their demon scent! Maybe the Yata no Kagami was overloading my senses the entire time! Or even that incense they burned!"

"Either way we're on the run." I said. I took out the rest of our clothes from our back packs and handed them their shoes. "And we'll get frostbite if we keep running barefoot in the snow."

"We're have monsters chasing us and you're worried about frostbite?!" Nico annoyingly asked which got me angry.

"Nico I'm not going to fight you over this!" I yelled. I pushed his shoes into his hands. "I am your big brother so just listen to me and put your gods forsaken shoes on now!"

I saw his eyes go wide at what I said. I don't think he knew how I really felt about him, and in all honesty I didn't want to admit it. It just slipped out. I saw some tears escape his eyes but he kept his cool. Percy and Kurama stared at the two of us in silence. We finished getting dressed and covered ourselves in the blankets, trying to get some warmth back. Being in dry clothes helped. Nico was shivering again, so Kurama jumped onto his shoulder and nuzzled against Nico's face.

While we hid out in the tree we were able to still hear the screams of the demons. I even heard buzzing and skittering. From the sound of things they were scattered everywhere looking for us. I wondered why they couldn't sense the mirror. Surely that would have given our location away. Perhaps Tsukuyomi's seals blocked the mirror's aura from being sensed.

"We need a plan." I said.

"Why plan something?" Percy said. "We could fight."

"I have a feeling if Annabeth said something about a plan you would listen without hesitation." Nico pointed out.

"That's not the point." I continued. "And I doubt we can fight all of those monsters. We need a way out of here."

"But where do we go?" Nico asked. "We're in the middle of nowhere. We only found that resort based on luck. Bad luck anyways."

"And we can't keep running." I said. "We'll get too exhausted to fight."

"So what do we do?" Kurama asked.

"The sea." Percy spoke up.

"What?" Kurama said.

"We could try getting to the ocean." Percy said. "Madam Konchū said that there is a cliff overlooking the sea, so if we make it there-"

"Me and Kurama drown while you and Tsuna swim away." Nico said with a glare.

"I won't let either of you drown." I said.

"And I won't either." Percy said. "And when I was actually able to get you to swim in the lake back at Camp, you never drowned."

"That was a lake, not the ocean." Nico argued. "We don't know how your dad feels about me. He might just drown me on purpose."

"Dad isn't like that." Percy said.

"I can't Percy." Nico said.

"Nico, I swear that I will not let you drown." I said, placing my hand on his shoulder. "I will do everything in my power to protect you and Kurama while we are in the ocean. And I know that Percy will do the same."

"But-" started Nico.

"It's our best bet Nico." I said. "And we have no other option. When it's clear-"

Something very heavy struck the tree. We were thrown against the side. I glanced on the opposite side and saw a series of spike imbedded in the tree. There was a feral grunt and the spikes were pulled from the tree. Again something slammed into the trees. As I was about to order the others to leave, the tree started creaking and it was pulled in half. Splinters showered us as the rest of the tree was thrown to the side.

"There you are." said a familiar voice. I looked up and saw a large man, about twelve feet tall with immense red skin covering his muscular body. He was wearing tiger print pants. He had a long unruly mane of black hair and swung over his shoulder was a black club with spikes in it. "It's good to see you again Umi no Musuko."

"Hyousuke?" I asked.

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner." Hyousuke said. "You three have been becoming very popular lately."

"How did you find us?" I demanded.

"Easy." Hyousuke said. "Your brooding little friend led me right to you"

"How dare you? Nico would never betray us!" I yelled. Hyousuke smiled as he lifted his left arm, showing that he still had Nico's aviator's jacket. It was glowing slightly and it was pointing right at Nico.

"Hey!" Nico screamed angrily. "Give me my jacket back!"

"Nico stop!" I yelled. "He must have used your jacket as a locator spell."

Nico ignored me and jumped to get his jacket, but Hyousuke taunted him by lifting up his arm, keeping the jacket just out of Nico's reach. Before Nico jumped again I grabbed and pulled him back. I summoned my sword, and Percy uncapped Riptide. Nico took out his pocket knife and had it become his Stygian Iron sword. Kurama puffed out his fur to look bigger and extended his three tails.

"Oh how cute." Hyousuke said. He roared, startling us a bit, but we held our ground. I heard the screams of the other demons, and they were getting closer. "Oh, here comes the Calvary."

"Run!" I yelled. Percy understood and scooped up Kurama.

"We can't run-" Nico said, but Percy grabbed the crook of his arm and pulled him along.

"Are you surrendering Sea Boy?" asked Hyousuke.

"Doubtful." I said as I tensed my sword arm. "I'm just going to get my little brother's jacket back before your friends arrive."

"Yea right." Hyousuke said.

However I already moved to attack. I jabbed my sword into his gut, cutting through him like he was warm butter. He groaned in pain, but didn't react all that much. As he readied his arm to swing his spiked club, I pulled my sword out of him and dashed around, slicing at the back of his legs. He fell forward a bit, but regained his balance. He turned around and raised his club above his head then brought it down. I jumped out of the way, but he grabbed me and tossed me on the ground.

As I regained my senses Hyousuke raised his club again and brought it down. I didn't have time to dodge out of the way, so I raised my sword and supported it with my other arm. Hyousuke's club smashed into my sword. I was expecting my sword to break from the force, but it didn't. I pushed against him with all of my strength and was able to through him off balance. I saw an opening and sliced off his left arm at the elbow.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!" bellowed Hyousuke. His amputated arm turned to dust, leaving behind Nico's jacket.

"Thank you." I said as I picked up Nico's jacket.

"You'll pay for that you bastard!" Hyousuke said.

"Yea? How so?" I asked as I tied Nico's jacket around my waist.

"We will take everything you care about away from you." Hyousuke said. "You will have nothing left! Especially after our master is freed, he will devourer everything you hold dear."

"It's a good thing I'm on this Quest then, isn't it?" I said, tired of listen to him. "Your kind will never gain the Three Sacred Treasures."

"If you think so brat." Hyousuke said. "And don't think that your little friends will get far. Madam Konchū has many minions. She will make them suffer until you relinquish the Yata no Kagami. Except for that other water logged brat. Menōmaru has it in for him."

"DON'T YOU DARE THREATEN MY FAMILY!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I felt the whole forest violently shake. Trees fell and whatever birds were in the area flew off.

"What the-?" asked Hyousuke. However I couldn't have been bothered by him at the moment. Madam Konchū came in sight with her three kids, so I ran away.

I ran as fast as I could, calling out for my friends. I ran into several demons, but they were mowed down with a good strike from my sword. I ducked and weaved through trees. I heard buzzing again so I looked up, seeing the bee-ified Aina and Fujiko flying over. I squeezed myself as close to a tree to stay out of sight.

"Percy! Nico! Kurama!" I screamed after Fujiko and Aina flew by. "_Where are they_? _They were together when they ran_."

I kept running. I had no idea which direction I was going, but I had this feeling in my heart that the sea was close by. So I followed the feeling. I ran again, looking intently for the others. I actually was running so fast that I ran passed Percy. I stopped dead in my tracks and backtracked. Percy was standing still, eyes dull, arms hanging limply at his side and Riptide being held loosely in his right hand.

"Percy?" I said. "Percy, are you okay?"

I snapped my fingers in front of his face but received no reaction. I shook him as well, but still I got nothing from him. I noticed a small moth was on his shoulder, so I flicked it away and tried to get Percy to snap out of it. I even tried pinching and slapping him. Nothing worked.

The feral screams from the demons echoed throughout the forest, and sounded very close. After I capped Riptide and put it in my pocket I grabbed Percy's hands and dragged him with me. He didn't resist me at all. It's like he was asleep. I called out for Nico and Kurama, but they never yelled back. The demons seemed to be multiplying. They kept jumping out at me, so I cut them down as they got in my way.

Ahead of me I saw the dirt shift. Then bursting out of the ground in a shower of dirt was Haruki the scorpion demon. He looked really disgusting and horrifying. His face had big eyes and his mouth was filled with razor sharp teeth. He still had his pink highlighted hair which covered his eyes. His body was covered in black fleshy armor with a tint of pink to it. His pinchers covered half if his arms, and looked wickedly sharp and strong enough to snip in me in half.

"Just great." I said sarcastically. I sat Percy down next to a tree, because it's obvious that I would have to fight Haruki.

"You're not getting to the sea." Haruki said.

"Really?" I asked. "Says who?"

"Mother does. And I'm going to take you to her." He said.

"Right." I said.

I readied my sword in my hand and ran at Haruki. He tried to grab me with his pinchers as I got within his reach, but I ducked and jabbed my sword into his stomach. It went in easily, but he didn't die, just like Hyousuke. Before he grabbed me and pulled out and kneed him in the stomach. I then backed up and swung my sword against his pinchers. His armor was really strong, because a small gash was the only wound that appeared.

He slammed the blunt side of his left pincher into my face. I hit the ground and my sword fell right out of reach. I tried to sit up but Haruki sunk his open pinchers into the ground, pinning me under him. His claws just barely cut into my arms. I tried kicking him off of me, but he just straddled me to keep me in place. Haruki towered over me, looking even more disgusting from this position. He leaned down and sniffed me. Then he licked my neck.

"You taste so good." Haruki said creepily. "And you look so cute. Maybe I'll be allowed to keep you for myself after we take over."

"_You have got to be kidding_!" I thought. There was no way in Hell was I going to be his. I reached for my sword with my fingers, just barely touching it the hilt. Haruki noticed what I was doing and kicked my sword farther away.

"Nuh uh uh." Haruki said. "Sorry babe. Can't let you do that."

"_I am going to ram my sword straight through this guy's heart._" I thought. But how could I do anything without my sword? I wasn't even able to move my arms to get Riptide out of my pocket, let alone uncap it.

But then I remembered something. I have powers. Duh! But there wasn't any water, unless…could I melt the snow? I closed my eyes and concentrated, which was very hard because the gay scorpion monster continued to lick my neck like a gods damn pervert. But I focused on my time down in California, when mom and I went to San Francisco for one of her symposiums. I remembered how warm the water felt down there compared to the beaches in Washington.

By the time Haruki was starting to kiss my neck (which not only felt awkward because of the obvious, but it also felt weird because of his arachnid lips) the snow started to feel really warm and I felt my back starting to get wet. I continued to focus on the warm ocean, feeling the snow's temperature rise. I'm surprised that Haruki didn't notice the temperature rise in the area. Once I felt the energy in the water flowing into me, I concentrated on making the water bend to my will.

"What are you thinking about babe?" Haruki asked, leaning right over my face. He leaned in closer. I was afraid that I knew what he was going to do. But when he was an inch away, I made the water turn into spikes that came extremely close to me and pierce through Haruki. This stopped his attempt to kiss me.

With the spikes in him, he was forced off me a bit, so I was able to pull my legs close and kick him with all of my water enhanced strength. He flew into a tree, causing a large pile of snow to fall on him. As I stood up the water healed the small gashed on my arms that Haruki's pinchers caused. I grabbed my sword and checked up on Percy. He still was in the same condition. Even after I threw some water in his face he remained the same.

"That hurt." Haruki said as he dug himself out of the snow pile. "Come on sweetie, don't play hard to get."

"You really can't take a hint, can you?" I asked.

"If I can't have you, I guess I can take that little boy." Haruki threatened.

"Excuse me?" I said with my back to him. "Repeat that, I dare you."

"I said I'll take that squirt you were carrying last night." Haruki said. "He'll make a good mate."

I didn't say anything in response. I just stretched my neck in both directions, causing it to pop. I turned around and gave him a glare that would probable make Hades proud (who else did Nico inherit it from?) and readied my blade. Haruki charged at me, so I altered the position of my sword in my hand and threw it like a spear at Haruki. He didn't see it coming, so he wasn't even able to block. My sword sunk itself right under his heart all the way to the hilt. And when he staggered back I took out and uncapped Riptide.

I ran right at him, feeling the weight of Percy's sword. It felt awkward in my hands after I have been using mine, but it was far better than any of the swords I used back at camp. I swung and sliced and slashed as fast and as powerful as I could. Large gashed appeared on Haruki's body with each swipe of Riptide. Haruki tried to counter, but with the water empowering me he had no chance. I had this thought in the back of my mind that if life was a video game I had just racked up quite a combo. His back had the strongest armor, but what was left of his tail was a weak spot.

The scorpion demon screamed in pain with each wound I caused on him. When I got in front of him again he was trying to take my sword out of his chest. I plunged Riptide in his stomach and grabbed my blade with my left hand. I then pulled them both out of him, with my sword pointing backwards. As I jumped back Haruki fell forward. His body started turning to dust, starting at his legs.

"I only wanted to be with you." Haruki said as he finally died.

"Creep." I said.

I capped Riptide and put it back into my pocket. I picked Percy up and dragged him by the hand in the direction I felt the sea was in. The feeling kept getting stronger the more we headed in the right direction. Over the sound of the roars and screams of the monsters, I heard Nico's grunts. He was fighting someone, all by himself. I knew he can take care of himself, but my 'protective older brother' aspect kicked in and I followed his fighting yells.

It didn't take long for me to figure out that Nico was in the same direction of the sea. And the monsters weren't trying to divert us. They must be swarming Nico at once. The monstrous screams and Nico's battle cries got louder, and soon Percy and I left the forest and ran onto a rocky cliff. There were monsters everywhere, except that Madam Konchū, her two girls, and Hyousuke weren't there. I couldn't even see Nico. I swung my sword at any monster that got in my way. I heard the ringing of steel in the air so I ducked (taking Percy with me) and saw that a skeletal samurai warrior was attacking the monsters. There were actually several of these deceased warriors fighting the monsters.

"Let them through!" Nico yelled. The samurai nodded and let us pass. Nico was on the other side, his sword in his hand and Kurama in the crook of his arm.

"What happened?" I asked while I stabbed a monster. Kurama looked sick, and on his hind leg was a purplish scratch that was bleeding.

"I was going to ask you the same thing!" Nico yelled. "What happened to Percy?"

"I don't know." I said as I forced Percy between me and Nico.

"Kurama got hit by a stinger." Nico said as he sliced into a monster. "I think Fujiko or Aina got him. I found him injured and knocked out."

"It must be poison." I said. I saw that the samurai were taking out a lot of the monsters. "Did you summon them?"

"I had to." Nico said.

"But your powers-" I started to say.

"I know what happens when I summon the dead." Nico said, looking exhausted. "But it's helping us right now, so please just work with it."

I nodded, but I took the fore front of the battle, with my sword in one hand and Riptide in the other. I cut down many on the monsters, trying to prevent Nico from over exerting himself. Despite the help from Nico's zombies, we were being surrounded. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the bee monsters Fujiko and Aina flying overhead, then Madam Konchū and the now armless Hyousuke coming out of the forest. Hyousuke rushed into the crowed of monsters and defeated Nico's undead samurai with a single swipe of his spiked club.

"Come now," Madam Konchū said, parting the mass of monsters with her presence. "Did you really think you could win? We have you outnumbered, you are surrounded, and even if you are able to make it to the sea two of you will die. Face it. You lost."

"So give us that damn mirror and your friends can go home alive," said Hyousuke with a large scowl on his face, "Or else we'll kill you all and take the mirror anyways."

"Yea, that was very persuasive." I said. "But if you think I'm going to just give up and give in to you, well, get ready to be disappointed."

"So that's your final answer?" Madam Konchū asked sweetly. In the corner of my eye I saw something slither away from Madam Konchū, but I took no heed to it at the moment.

"Yes." I said, pointing my sword right at her. "You will never have the Yata no Kagami, or the Yasakani no Magatama and the Kusanagi no Tsurugi."

Madam Konchū smiled so sweetly it was near venomous. I felt something wrong was going to happen, something terrible for Nico. I had no control over myself (though even if I did I still would have done it) as I tackled Nico the ground. As I heard him yelp and saw his head hit a rock, something with small, razor sharp teeth bit my shoulder roughly.

Then there was this instantaneous immense burning sensation. It was like there was liquid fire in my veins. I heard my heart beat in my head as if there was thunder in my head. I dropped my sword, gasping for breath while my vision started to blur. As my sword fell it turned into its ring form and attached itself to my finger.

I reached up to grab whatever was biting me, noticing that my veins were black. I grabbed ahold of something smooth and it was wiggling, thrashing about. As I pulled it out I saw that it was a pure black creature, like a fat snake. As it struggled in my hand it opened up its mouth, revealing that it had several rows of insanely sharp teeth. It looked like some teeth were missing.

"Aw, look who made a friend." Madam Konchū said. The other monsters laughed. "I didn't mean to let him out of my sight."

"What is this thing?" I gasped out. "What the Hell bit me?!"

"It's an Orochi Spawn." Madam Konchū said. "A venomous creature from the deepest, darkest depths of the Yomi. It is also a sign that our Savior is returning."

"Savior?" I asked.

"What? Did you think you were our Messiah?" Madam Konchū asked.

"I'm…a Messiah?" I asked. How can I be considered a Savior to the demons?

"No, you're not." Hyousuke said. "We are waiting for the release of our true Savior and master, the Yamata no Orochi."

"Who?" I asked.

"Yamata no Orochi, the Eight Forked Serpent." Madam Konchū said. "He is coming and will restore Japan to its former glory, before the other miserable Pantheons invaded. Your Greek Pantheon is the worst, and once Orochi is finished with Japan, he will destroy your precious gods!"

"I will not let that happen." I said. My knees buckled and I fell to one knee. I felt great pain in my heart, so I clutched my chest.

"Oh, I see the venom has reached your heart." Madam Konchū said. "What were you going to say?"

"If it comes to it, I will give my life to stop whatever your kind is planning." I said.

"Well, with the venom in your veins, you won't last much longer." Hyousuke said.

"Shut up." I said.

I slowly got up, but instantly felt dizzy. All of the monsters laughed. I ignored them while I put Nico and Percy around my shoulders. When Nico fell, he must have tensed up and held a tight hold on Kurama. I felt something wet coming from Nico, and I realized his head was bleeding profusely. He needed help now, but neither Percy nor I were in a condition to. But if I could just get to the ocean…

"Where do you think you're going?" Madam Konchū asked. "That's over a hundred foot drop. You two sons of the sea might survive the fall, but not the boy or the fox."

Her words just went in one ear and out the other. I focused on saving my family. I trudged along, ignoring the laughter of the many demons. My disorientation caused me to not see a rock, so I fell to the ground, taking the others with me. I tried to stand up, but I fell to my knees and began to cough up blood. My vision became hazier, and all I felt was failure to save the ones I cared about most.

My hand felt intensely warm. Through the haze I saw a beautiful blue light coming from my ring. It hasn't shined like this since I fought Tsuchigumo. There was then a pulse, and roar. Thinking back, the closest way for me to describe the way it sounded like would be the roar of Godzilla.

"You're alive?!" shrieked Madam Konchū. I heard the scuttle of her centipede legs as she ran towards me.

"_Please help me protect them_!" I prayed. "_You took everything I held dear! But now I'm asking for your help! Please, help me save my family Poseidon…Dad_."

I heard Madam Konchū cackle like a witch right behind me. If I was going to die because Dad wouldn't help, then I'll go down protecting my friends. I turned around and actually punched at the demon lady. I don't know why I thought that it would actually hurt her, but I did it anyways.

I never felt my fist touch her. I opened my eyes, and saw that Madam Konchū had stopped dead in her tracks. Before I even had a moment to question what happened, a series of cracks appeared in the air, like broken glass. I felt a very powerful shaking coming from the cracks. With a high pitched scream Madam Konchū was practically vaporized by the sheer power of …whatever I did. Then the ground was cracked on the sides, basically 'cutting' the cliff edge and destroying whatever demons were in the way.

"How-how is that possible?" asked a wide eyed Hyousuke while Fujiko and Aina cried out for their dead mother. "The Sea God doesn't have control of earthquakes!"

"I guess you don't know anything about Poseidon." I said feeling exhausted. The cliff started to shake, due to its instability.

"Poseidon?" said Hyousuke. "What does that Greek have anything to do with what's happening?"

The cliff started shaking more, falling apart. It also cracked up more. I looked from Hyousuke to the sea, and feeling my heart slow down. I was dying. But I was still adamant in saving my family, so I grabbed Percy and Nico's hands, waiting for the fall. The ground beneath my feet finally gave way and the four of us fell straight down. Through the wind in my ears I heard Hyousuke cry out in anger for losing us again.

"_Please Dad_." I prayed. "_Protect my little brother and Kurama in the sea_."

Despite my blurred vision, I could see the ocean getting closer. I could hear the waves pounding against the rock face and I could smell the water. I kept praying for the safety of Nico and Kurama as we fell. It was a wondrous feeling falling like this. But then pain that the poison was causing was to extreme. I started to black out, but before I did, I felt the cold of the water envelop me as darkness took me.


End file.
